BARCELONA, SPAIN – (HealthTech Wire / News) – Demographic change is seen as one of the drivers of eHealth worldwide. Professor Alain Franco of the Geriatric Department at Nice University, France, argued the case for a new health paradigm focusing less on disease and more on function and disability.
The percentage of elderly people in western societies is set to increase dramatically over the coming decades, according to Franco. “There will be a lack of natural and professional care givers at some time in the future,” he said.
In a new functional health paradigm, the priorities would shift from merely curing symptoms towards keeping patients functioning in everyday life. Technology, Franco said, could contribute significantly to this goal, since it offers ways to support care, reduce accidents, detect medical problems early and treat patients in their homes rather than in medical institutions.
“Technology is clearly an example of a domain that is addressing current needs under a new functional paradigm. Together with biology and human sciences, technology has become a major area of research for gerontology.”
Adolfo Munoz Carrero from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III in Madrid, Spain, gave an overview of 15 years of research into the use and acceptance of gerontotechnology among elderly people. His institute has conducted seven clinical trials with different ambient-assisted living technologies and communication platforms involving more than 2,000 patients and around 100 physicians.
“The basic result of all this research is that ICT helps ageing people to feel safer and less lonely,” Munoz said. ICT could contribute to greater involvement in self-care and help elderly people to adopt healthier lifestyles. “We have also seen an improvement in communication and social participation and an improvement in the relation to and interaction with caregivers.”
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