The Socio-economic Impact of Social Computing: Proceedings of a Validation and Policy Options Workshop

This report presents the major outcomes of a validation and policy options workshop on social computing, held at IPTS in Seville, on 26-27 February 2008. It points to a number of relevant issues (including methodological and conceptual ones) that need to be taken into account in a study of the socio-economic impacts of social computing. It argues that there is little room for direct policy interventions in social computing but that framework conditions and impacts at sector-level (e.g. education, government) need to be considered. The report also discusses the future of social computing and the opportunities it offers Europe.JRC.J.4-Information Societ

ICT for Independent Living Services

In order to maximise the potential of Independent Living Services (ILS) for active ageing, it is expected that innovative organizational models will be needed to support their implementation. For example, closer co-ordination between all service providers and stakeholders of independent living services is essential, such as health and social services providers' coordination for early detection of risks and preventive interventions. ICT have a central role to play in new models of healthcare, since they allow the networking and sharing of citizen information among all stakeholders that underpin a more integrated care provision. New models also allow continuity of care, avoiding unnecessary hospitalization or intrusive surgery, minimizing the disruptive effect of healthcare interventions on patients' daily lives. Specific research to better understand how ICT can contribute to enabling independent living through new models of care would be needed. Current models and solutions for care provision need to take better account of user-contexts. There is a need for research into methods on how to integrate users into the research and development process generally, i.e. not only the older citizens but also all the other actors in the ILS area, including formal and informal carers. Awareness about ILS and its opportunities is limited among potential users, professional organisations and policy makers alike. Outreach strategies that familiarize all stakeholders with technological options already available and under development are required.JRC.J.4-Information Societ

Information and Communication Technologies for Active Ageing: Opportunities and Challenges for the European Union

The aim of this book is to summarize the current debate on the key elements of ageing societies (Section A) and to link it to Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for active ageing (Section B) by using an application/policy field approach as an overall framework. ICT-based applications were chosen as a particular focus since they offer a number of very promising applications for active ageing in policy fields like health, learning, employability and housing. The book also aims to stimulate further scientific discussions in this field. Its key question is how to tackle the challenges and exploit the opportunities offered by ageing societies by using the suggested research approach of ICT for active ageing (ICT4AA). This approach is discussed in detail in Section B. We believe that it is complementary to other concepts for active ageing like healthy nutrition, sports and recreational health.JRC.J.4-Information Societ