Novel Empowering Solutions and Technologies for Older People to Retain Everyday Life Activities
Summary
Product and Service Design
HES-SO, European Union
16 partners from 8 European countries: Belgium, Italy, Netherlands, Romania, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom
Elena Mugellini
Skills directory
November 2017 - November 2020
As the mythological Nestor, NESTORE is an innovative coach that aims to accompany people as they age by offering personalised advices and support decision-making so that we can maintain our wellbeing and extend the number of years we live independently.
Due to longer life expectancy and declining fertility rates, Europe’s ageing population is growing fast. In order to maximize our wellbeing as we age and to reduce the economic burden on our welfare systems, we need to adopt preventive policies that will promote active and healthy ageing. These policies must commit to a life-course approach to ageing that will address the cumulative impact of people’s life experiences and discriminations.
Longer life expectancy does not necessarily come with more years of life in good health. Acknowledging the correlation between ageing demographics and the increasing number of people living with chronic diseases, the World Health Organisation recommends adopting a life-course preventive approach based on age-friendly environments the provision of community-based services answering older adults’ needs.
Faced with pressing health needs of the global ageing population, adequate adjustments of our social, economic and public health policies are of the utmost importance. The good news is: research and technological development can help our societies take up the challenge.
In this complex context, NESTORE proposes to support healthy older people to sustain their wellbeing and capacity to live independently by promoting customised pathway to wellbeing. Technically speaking, NESTORE’s ambitious objective is to develop an innovative, multi-dimensional, cross-disciplinary and personalized coaching system that, leveraging ICT social connectivity, will support older adults by encouraging them to become co-producers of their wellness.
Eventually, the project will develop a companion providing people with guidance for longer healthy life years. The NESTORE system will operate into the physical and virtual domains through tangible objects and sensors, as well as software and apps enabling monitoring and coaching.