Afdeling Technological innovations in elderly care: challenges for science and economy Luc de Witte
Nursing and Care/HOPE Outline Elderly care is facing enormous challenges; new directions are needed Technology offers many (potential) possibilities, but also threats Much research is needed to ‘guide’ the careful use of technology This offers great challenges and opportunities for CAPHRI And, if done properly, also for industry and economy
Nursing and Care/HOPE Challenges for elderly care The demand for elderly care will grow substantially Available resources (personnel and money) will not grow at the same pace: shortage will become the standard much more needs to be done with less Care will be delivered at home as much as possible (and more than today), with the professional in a more distant role Selfmanagement and informal care will develop further In intramural settings care will be more complex
Nursing and Care/HOPE New approaches are needed: building on selfmanagement, informal care and support, multidisciplinary approaches Technology offers many potential solutions that may help meeting these challenges But: there is a huge gap between technology development and needs in care practice And there is only very little scientifically sound knowledge about how technology can be implemented, what the effects are, etc… Challenges for CAPHRI
Nursing and Care/HOPE There is a strong need for care-driven research in this field; that is why we initiated the CCTR: centre for care technology research) ….
Nursing and Care/HOPE Some examples: what can we expect?
Nursing and Care/HOPE Care at a distance
Nursing and Care/HOPE Monitoring: Quiet Care
Nursing and Care/HOPE Care Robotics
Nursing and Care/HOPE Robotics
Nursing and Care/HOPE Robotics
Nursing and Care/HOPE Servicerobots
Nursing and Care/HOPE Socially assistive robots
Nursing and Care/HOPE A fearsome future…?
Nursing and Care/HOPE Or just great fun…?
Nursing and Care/HOPE CAPHRI projects today: Care robotics –The socially assistive robot PARO (started ) –Arm support: McArm (started ) –Home service robot ACCOMPANY (starts ?) –(The play robot IROMEC (finished ) ) Monitoring technology: care at a distance –Monitoring frailty (started ) –Teletechnological support for elderly (started ) This is no science fiction
Nursing and Care/HOPE What is needed Research to support development of care applications: user requirements (patient and caregiver), ethical issues, how can technology be embedded in care practice, etc… User evaluations: usability, safety issues, acceptance, etc… (Cost-)Effectiveness research Implementation research Educational and training programmes ……
Nursing and Care/HOPE Conclusion The future is today This field has great scientific, practical and economic potential We are making initial but substantial steps towards a research programme in this field If we succeed to establisch CCTR (centre for care technology research) we can really ‘make a difference’