€12m European SOPRANO project to develop technology for independent
living for older people
13 February 2007 The Service Orientated Programmable Smart Environments
for Older Europeans (SOPRANO) project will develop affordable, smart
IT-based assisted living services aimed at promoting independence for older
people, improving quality of life and addressing the issue of an ageing
population across Europe. The SOPRANO project is partly supported by a €7m
grant from the EU under the Sixth Framework Programme. It will run for three
and a half years and combines the expertise and knowledge of over 20
partners from six European countries, including university research
institutes, public bodies and industry experts.
The project will demonstrate how telecare technology, IT and mobile
communications can be harnessed to develop new community-based models of
care and support. Research is expected to strongly advance global knowledge
in semantic IT, RFID location, remote diagnostics, radar and integration
architectures. Large-scale viability in real homes will be demonstrated with
600 users.
Led by UK telecare and telehealth solution provider Tunstall, the
research will seek to develop new ways of integrating assistive technology,
telecare and telehealth solutions into users’ homes to provide co-ordinated
and proactive assistance. It will also investigate the motor, sensory and
cognitive difficulties experienced by older people and the most effective
vision, voice or sensory-based means of communicating with users. By
integrating assistive technology with advanced telecare and telehealth
solutions, SOPRANO will develop a fully networked home environment.
Integrated appliances and devices will support users in carrying out
everyday activities, and advanced telecare and telehealth solutions will
monitor health and well-being and ensure assistance is provided when
required. Mike Hodges, Research and Development Director at Tunstall said:
“Against a background of accelerating demographic ageing across Europe, the
latest telecare and telehealth solutions will play a pivotal role in helping
to relieve some of the growing pressure on healthcare providers. Tunstall is
proud to be leading this cutting-edge project which is addressing these key
issues. “The low-level, round-the-clock care provided by telecare
technology such as this offers a cost-effective alternative to traditional
care, while also ensuring users get the support they need in the familiarity
of their home environment.” To top
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