| |
Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
 | |
|
Assisted living technologies for older and disabled people in 2030
— A final report to Ofcom | | Author(s) | David Lewin, Stephen Adshead, Britta Glennon |
| Corporate Author | Plum Consulting; Loughborough University; Aegis |
| Publisher | Electronic format, London, March 2010 |
| Pages | 76 pp |
| Source | Plum Consulting, Covent Garden, London. http://www.plumconsulting.co.uk |
| Annotation | A study commissioned by Ofcom examined the long-term requirements of key sectors for communication services in the United Kingdom. In a context where people are living longer with single or multiple long-term conditions, the report estimates that the number of people with moderate to severe disabilities will increase from 1.8 million in 2007 to 2.6 million by 2025. At the same time, public spending is becoming more restricted. The authors believe these factors will create a 'latent demand' for Assisted Living Services (ALSs) that enable people to live independently in their own homes for longer. The authors propose five main types of ALSs for the future: a) digital participation (providing service users with entertainment, education and social interaction); b) wellness (encouraging service users to maintain their health); c) teleworking (enabling service users to work from home and still contribute to society and the economy); d) telehealth (remotely managing service users' long-term conditions); and e) telecare (remotely managing vulnerable service users' welfare). The authors of the report consider a range of potential advances in telehealth and telecare in the UK in the next 20 years - for example, online cognitive behavioural therapy (in two years) or real-time video calling with carers (in three years, depending on location). The main drivers for this vision include Moore's law leading to equipment becoming cheaper, and increased speed and memory and universal broadband access. The implications are lower costs of equipping a home for telehealth or telecare, and a wider range of products available. However, the rate of improvement could be impeded by limited interoperability and by medical regulation processes. Based on the research and information about the drivers for change, the authors developed four scenarios for take-up of ALSs by 2030. Finally, the authors consider the technology and standards requirements, as well as the best approaches to engage older people and disabled people in using ALSs, in order to ensure that the full-scale complementary provision scenario is realised. (KJ). |
| Accession Number | CPA-100824201 E |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
|
| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
| |
|