ICT for European seniors
- On 28/01/2020
Between 2016 and 2060, the share of people over 65 will grow from 19.3% to 29.0% of the total population. The percentage of people over 80 will more than double to 12.1%. As the number of older people is increasing in Europe, we must ensure that their living quality is not decreasing. In this sense, strategies to promote active ageing are indispensable, this is, strategies that help people stay in charge of their own lives for as long as possible as they age.
The Active Ageing Index (AAI) is reporting (board below) that the use of ICT is one of the active strategies for older people to be active in their societies and personal life.
https://statswiki.unece.org/display/AAI/Active+Ageing+Index+Home
According to the Active Ageing Index developed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the European Commission’s Directorate General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, the use of ICT enables a healthy environment for active ageing. In this context, smart homes are in the interest of seniors as it allows them to develop their ICT skills and to stay longer at home with adapted support.
What does it mean to live in a “smart home”? What is a “smart home”? According to the BT company, this term “is used to describe a house that contains a communication network that connects different appliances and allows them to be remotely controlled, monitored and accessed”. Thanks to smart homes, seniors can configurate a set of devices for their own benefit:
- They can make sure all windows and doors are closed via magnetic sensors
- They can use smart locks to enter their homes and put an end to lost keys
- Using smart lighting, they can make their house look occupied even when they are out and feel safe.
- Using motion sensors, alerts can be sent to their relatives in case of an emergency.
Furthermore, in 2015 the European Commission launched the SAE initiative: Smart Anything Everywhere, to help SMEs, start-ups and mid-caps to enhance their products and services through digital technologies. SAE aimed at building a digital ecosystem to improve the lives of Europeans as one of their focus areas was Advanced micro-electronics components and Smart System Integration. This initiative is a great progress for European seniors who wished to smart systems in their houses to have a day-to-day help.
The European project SmartYourHome has been established aside the awareness of the benefits seniors can have by actively using ICT in their houses. This project has been founded by the European Commission within the Erasmus+ program, it aims to enable senior citizens to understand the characteristics and possibilities of digitalisation using smart-home concepts and to make active use of them.
Adopting the use of ICT is not only for young people or people working in digital institutions. All European citizens can learn and use digital technologies to enhance their daily and professional life. Seniors also have capabilities to utilize them.
For these reasons, one of the goals of Eurocrea Merchant is to implement digitalisation among older as well as to younger spheres of the European society. You can visit Eurocrea Merchant site (www.eurocreamerchant.it) to know more about its activity!
https://www.smartyourhome-project.ili.eu/
https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?langId=en&catId=1062
https://statswiki.unece.org/display/AAI/Active+Ageing+Index+Home
https://home.bt.com/tech-gadgets/internet/connected-home/what-is-a-smart-home-11364214165664
https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/future-vision-smart-everywhere
