How technology can help care associations bear the burden
The growing proportion of older people in Europe is placing informal carers and care associations under increasing pressure. Tech products and services designed to alleviate this could provide the support that they need, helping older people stay active, healthy and independent for longer. If you are a carer or work for a care association, we want to hear from you about how the European Commission can help you to help others.
With the next European research and innovation framework – Horizon Europe – due to begin in 2021, the EC is currently putting together its strategy for meeting the challenges and opportunities presented by Europe’s ageing population.
The European Commission wants to continue funding research in this area and help to stimulate innovation in digital markets, such as those in health and social care, the Internet of Things and home care and assistance.
Have your say on how we do things
We at AAL want to be at the heart of such a movement, and that’s why we are now asking you, the people who give their time to help support older people, to provide your input about how you think Europe should move forward to embrace the changes that our shifting demographic is bringing.
Our new online consultation survey aims to hear your opinion on the AAL’s achievements and lessons learned, the state of the active and healthy ageing market today, and how we should approach the challenges we face in the future.
The AAL Forum has seen many talks from informal carers and care associations about how we can help to speed up the process of bringing technology and services to them, as well as improving cooperation and communication between the various people who are affected by or work around the issue of ageing.
We are sure many of you have a lot more to say, so this is your chance to provide input at a time where it could have a real impact on the way we do things.
Ageing Well in a Digital Society
We have produced a short outline of our own proposal for the new partnership programme, called Ageing Well in a Digital Society, which you can provide your feedback on in the survey, too.
The core value of our proposal is simple: help people to age well. It will be centred around the idea of ecosystems – interconnected collaborations through which technological and social innovations, as well as the experiences of using and developing them, can be quickly shared.
Do our survey and make your voice heard
Hearing the differing perspectives and opinions from the many fields that make up our diverse community will be essential for creating a successful approach to ageing in Europe over the next seven years. So if you care about the topic of ageing well, and have something to say about how you think we can do things better, now is your opportunity.