`Everyone is a winner, help is just a push of a button away. . . ' : the Telecare Plus service in Malta

This paper reports on a research study on the role of assistive technologies in later life. Re- search questions included what is the impact of assistive technologies on the quality of life of older service-users, and to what extent does assistive technology lead to an improved quality of life for subscribers and in- formal carers? The chosen method of enquiry was a case-study of the Telecare Plus service in Malta. A total of 26 semi-structured interviews were held with a convenience sample of 26 people aged 60-plus about their use and experience of this particular telecare system. The Telecare Plus service was found to contribute positively to subscribers' levels of emotional and physical wellbeing, interpersonal relations and personal develop- ment, as well as towards the quality of life of informal carers. However, research also highlighted a range of challenges that stood in the way of increased adoption rates of the Telecare Plus service by older people. The fact that the fi eld of assistive technologies in Malta lacks effi cient and clear business models constitutes another barrier towards the take up of such services.peer-reviewe

Promoting the social integration of the eldery: housing rehabilitation and assistive technologies

This paper addresses the need to respond to the new demographic reality, namely the increase of the elderly population, regarding new housing requirements. The research carried out focuses on defining housing rehabilitation strategies to fulfil the elderly needs and on how the integration of Information and Communication Technologies and Assistive Technologies (ICAT) in the dwelling space will assist this group of population and enable “ageing in place”

Better Health and Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) from a global, regional and local economic perspective

Assisting technologies aim to provide more support in the meeting of one's daily needs and the preservation of one's autonomy and quality of life. Continual developments in medicine, medical equipment, nursing and medical care are assumed to lead to new types of care being created. A high degree of social and economic relevance has been attributed to assisting technologies, as well as information and communication systems, by scientists and politicians alike, particularly in connection with the development, promotion and organization of so-called senior-friendly environments and with ambient assisted living (AAL).economic development; ambient assisted living; health care system; assisting technologies; health care; new technologies; health economy

Healthcare PANs: Personal Area Networks for trauma care and home care

The first hour following the trauma is of crucial importance in trauma care. The sooner treatment begins, the better the ultimate outcome for the patient. Generally the initial treatment is handled by paramedical personnel arriving at the site of the accident with an ambulance. There is evidence to show that if the expertise of the on-site paramedic team can be supported by immediate and continuous access to and communication with the expert medical team at the hospital, patient outcomes can be improved. After care also influences the ultimate recovery of the patient. After-treatment follow up often occurs in-hospital in spite of the fact that care at home can offer more advantages and can accelerate recovery. Based on emerging and future wireless communication technologies, in a previous paper [1] we presented an initial vision of two future healthcare settings, supported by applications which we call Virtual Trauma Team and Virtual Homecare Team. The Virtual Trauma Team application involves high quality wireless multimedia communications between ambulance paramedics and the hospital facilitated by paramedic Body Area Networks (BANs) [2] and an ambulance-based Vehicle Area Network (VAN). The VAN supports bi-directional streaming audio and video communication between the ambulance and the hospital even when moving at speed. The clinical motivation for Virtual Trauma Team is to increase survival rates in trauma care. The Virtual Homecare Team application enables homecare coordinated by home nursing services and supported by the patient's PAN which consists of a patient BAN in combination with an ambient intelligent home environment. The homecare PAN provides intelligent monitoring and support functions and the possibility to ad hoc network to the visiting health professionals’ own BANs as well as high quality multimedia communication links to remote members of the virtual team. The motivation for Virtual Homecare Team is to improve quality of life and independence for patients by supporting care at home; the economic motivation is to replace expensive hospital-based care with homecare by virtual teams using wireless technology to support the patient and the carers. In this paper we develop the vision further and focus in particular on the concepts of personal and body area networks

A Case Study of Remote Monitoring of Health Status of the Elderly at Home in Taiwan

This case is a B2B2C model (service provider vs. community vs. the elderly) of innovative tele-care service provision. The service provider under study is the Chu-Shan Show-Chwan Hospital, a district hospital. The community consists of the social welfare institutions such as temples, community care centers, and nursing homes. The elderly are either residents of the community or the nursing homes. The community, as a service promoter, contributes to the increased acceptance compared to the traditional B2C model. Many communities under study and some social welfare organizations are highly interested in providing health care service to the elderly, and will support future operations if the results are satisfactory. Through this project, the district hospital can extend its primary care function to communities, build up trust among people, and improve the physician-patient relationshi