Objectives

Social objectives

Develop technologies to improve the quality of life for older people
Help older people lead a full and productive life for as long as possible in their own homes
Reduce isolation and a fear of being alone by facilitating remote communication between older people and their families and friends
Use technology to grant user-friendly access to services such as personal care, shopping and entertainment
Offer a more reliable and cohesive system to remotely monitor the health of older people in their homes

Technology objectives

Promote open standards
Advance our understanding of and access to technologies which support ambient assisted living
Design a technology infrastructure around the needs of older users
Bring together experts from a range of disciplines to ensure technology design takes account of social, political, health and psychological factors influencing older users
Improve communication between users and developers of technology for older people
Create new standards which ensure fragmented technologies work together to deliver benefits they could not offer on their own
Research new technologies and the integration of existing technologies which support older people at home

Economic and political objectives

Address the need to support older people and recognise their valuable role in society
Support policy development by providing data and consultancy about appropriate technologies and new research areas
Improve the competitiveness of EU products
Facilitate the creation of new markets and new companies which focus on services and tools to support older people at home
Create technology and services which people will pay for – and develop a sustainable business model around technologies for older people at home