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• Training event - 'Communication technologies'
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• Training event - Ageing and its consequences

Netcarity benefits older people and their families, caregivers, researchers, installers, the economy and local and regional authorities.

Netcarity will reduce health costs whilst improving quality of life. It will stimulate innovation in the provision of services to older people, improve the competitiveness of European products, and encourage better communication between technology sectors. It will provide all levels of government with valuable information about older people communities.

Users

Netcarity will encourage more older people to feel comfortable in their homes, to be included in society and to maintain a high quality of life.

Many older people leave their homes because they become insecure about their own physical abilities or distressed about living alone.

Netcarity will demonstrate that the integration of technology into a familiar home environment can improve social inclusion, and the physical and emotional security of older people.

Netcarity will:

• Support interactive communication with friends and family
• Offer access to digital entertainment and social networking services
• Prompt ideas for how to do more at home such as make meals or look after the garden
• Offer the remote health examinations and the provision of medical support as required

Caregivers

Netcarity will support the work of caregivers, social services and other professional groups already working with older people.

• It will provide new interfaces and channels of communication with older people
• Devices in the home will offer a broader and more accurate picture of users’ daily activities, emotional status and physical wellbeing
• It will immediately recognise dangerous situations and enable support services to deliver the most appropriate action in any given circumstance.

Netcarity needs to be easy for professionals to use. It must take into account their existing processes, technology and guidelines.

Advice from these communities will ensure that the final system reflects their requirements, supports their existing role and enhances their ability to work with older people.

Researchers

Netcarity will build interfaces, standards and protocols which allow different technologies to operate together smoothly. The promotion of open standards provides opportunities for innovation and new services. 

Netcarity will significantly enhance research and development aimed at older people. It will generate an understanding of how older people are prepared to use technology. It will guide the design of user interfaces, taking account of psychological, emotional and social factors.

Importantly, Netcarity will improve communication between end users and technology developers.

By supporting Netcarity, research teams can benefit from expert guidance on how to fund and manage European-level projects.

Installers

Designing a new infrastructure for homes requires guidance from specialists in construction, architecture and technology installation. For these professionals, working with Netcarity offers a route to influencing the development of future home technologies. They can become the first to offer and install Netcarity systems and services and to obtain an advantage over competitors. 

The economy

Netcarity will create wealth and new markets.

• The growing number of older people in affluent societies provides lucrative market opportunities
• Netcarity will encourage development of the sector and drive the development of services and products in ambient technology and home automation
• Emerging opportunities and technologies will encourage creation of small companies and spin-outs from research centres

Local and regional authorities

Netcarity will be a source of valuable information about older people populations for government. Knowledge gained from Netcarity can inform new policies on technology assistance for older people.

The project will provide guidelines for the integration of new services with existing social and healthcare policies.

Netcarity will drive down the costs of supporting aging populations. Netcarity estimates that by 2025 it could reduce support costs per older person by up to €1,000 a month, which is the equivalent to €2bn a month in some EU countries.