Innovative solutions in care of elderly citizens living at home

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As most European populations the population in Baltic states and in Scandinavia is ageing.The elderly are over-represented in the occurrence of almost all types of accidents.Falls are most common,followed by suffocation,fires and accidents caused by extreme cold.New technology can be used in injury prevention and in minimizing consequences of accidents and cases of illness for health care.The use of new technology in home care enables to live elderly citizens at their homes as long as possible and to improve their quality of life.The IT and electronics companies have begun to develop a range of innovative solutions that make life of elderly living at home more safe and secure. At the same time local municipalities,elderly and family care givers from Baltic States and Scandinavia don’t have up-to-date information about functionality,benefits, costs etc of new solutions available in the market (both products and services). Due to the lack of information it’s difficult for local municipalities and family care givers to decide which latest technology facilitating the care of elderly living at home would be reasonable and rational to introduce. The main target of the project is improved quality of life and increased safety and security of elderly citizens living at their homes, which will be achieved through using innovative technology and methods in home care. The specific objectives are: 1)Improved knowledge and experiences of municipalities participating in project about benefits and costs of innovative products/services in home care of elderly citizens, information disseminated to main stakeholders in project area. 2)Improved skills and knowledge of professional care givers,elderly and family care givers about using new technology and methods in home care of elderly people; 3)Cross-border co-operation network created between home care specialists/researchers from Estonia, Latvia and Sweden. WP1 consists activities related to project management and co-ordination, incl. arrangements of project meetings,Steering Group meetings,closing forum and seminars. WP2 aim is to receive information about new technology available in home care and to analyze the readiness of municipalities, elderly,families to use the technology.During 12 months 4 municipalities will test different electronic products and services.After that partners will analyze testing results and compose feasibility studies about costs and benefits of using new technology in home care of elderly.Research results will be disseminated in seminars. WP3 aim is to improve the skills and knowledge of proffesional care givers, elderly and family care givers about new technology and methods in home care. Partners will organize different trainings to these target groups and also support groups for care givers in Estonia and Latvia. Partners will organize joint study tours to Estonia,Latvia,Sweden, Finland and Norway.

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