ISSN: 1220-1766 eISSN: 1841-429X 343
ICI Bucharest © Copyright 2012-2017. All rights reserved
Studies in Informatics and Control 26 (3) 343-352, September 2017
1. Introduction
The global ageing population is increasingly
growing coupled with a major increase in
life expectancy, due to the improvements in
healthcare service delivery, food supply and
nutrition, but also due to the innovation and
developments in technology and science.
“Compared to 2017, the number of persons aged
60 or above is expected to more than double by
2050 and to more than triple by 2100. In Europe,
25% of the population is already aged 60 years or
over. That proportion is projected to reach 35% in
2050. Globally, the number of persons aged 80 or
over is projected to triple by 2050.” [22]
A growing number of seniors has an increased
impact on the whole levels of society, from
the individual changing position inside his/her
family, to the new national and international
strategies, programmes or approaches aiming to
best tackle the challenges and demands brought
by the ageing population.
Longer life expectancy and incoming number
of seniors with associated multimorbidity have
dramatically raised the cost associated with
the health and social systems, which is more
and more often perceived as a burden on social
insurance programs, healthcare service delivery
or pension systems.
Enabling Assistive Technologies to Shape the Future of the
Intensive Senior-Centred Care: A Case Study Approach
Adriana ALEXANDRU, Marilena IANCULESCU*
National Institute for Research and Development in Informatics,
8-10 Averescu Avenue, Bucharest, 011455, Romania
adriana@ici.ro, manina@ici.ro (*Corresponding author)
Abstract: Nowadays, the proportion in the older ages and the average life expectancy is increasing dramatically throughout
the world. The health problems associated with wealthy and aged populations has been an issue of great concern to a broad
and expanding number of people. Appropriate healthcare ITC-based technologies and services have to cope with this situa-
tion. Some specifc challenges related to senior-centred care as well as impediments to acceptance of health-related digital
approaches by elderly persons are underlined in this paper. The assistive technologies play a major role in increasing, main-
taining, or improving the functional capabilities of seniors as well as in creating the opportunities for ageing in place. This
paper aims to illustrate how an ongoing eHealth solution can be further upgraded by integrating some of the latest assistive
technologies devices. A brief presentation of some representative devices (such as wearable sensors, mHealth apps and in-
home monitoring system) highlights their benefts for the senior healthcare delivery. The current phase of the “Conceptual
Model for a Platform of Integrated Services based on Cloud for Home Monitoring of Seniors affected by Dementia (MSI-
MDD)” project is put in. A proposed extended architecture of MSI-MDD platform is provided emphasizing the benefts of the
integration of the most appropriate assistive technologies for an improved remote senior-centered healthcare service delivery.
Keywords: Senior-centred care, Health-assistive technologies, Wearable technology, mHealth, In-home monitoring.
One of the most important issue and concern in
this respect is to identify and implement the most
appropriate healthcare services and technology
which are adapted to the degenerative disorders
of the seniors, but also to the demands and needs
of so called “tech-savvy” new generations of
elderly people that are accustomed and willing
to use the digital technology.
A 2017 report from Ericsson ConsumerLab
representing the results of two surveys carried
out in Germany, Japan, South Korea, the UK
and the USA revealed that over 60 percent of
surveyed consumers are prepared to include
assistive technology as a preventive means
for health management. Assistive technology
can provide the medical specialists with the
opportunities to have access and process the
clinically-relevant, real-time health information
and data. “As improved healthcare helps people
live longer, healthcare systems come under
increasing pressure as older patients need
more care.
The progressive evolution of age-related
disorders have also a negative impact on the
seniors’ quality of life and independence.
The resulting resource shortage is forcing the
industry to become more and more dependent
https://doi.org/10.24846/v26i3y201710