EAI International Workshop – Developing Technology for the Elderly

Scope

With massive improvements in healthcare and lifestyle in the last century, people are living longer. While longevity is an important achievement of modern-day, it does present challenges in terms of caring for an increasingly elderly population. People of all walks of life are faced with the dilemma of how to best care for their older loved ones. Nursing homes are one solution, however, besides its costs being astronomical, it is not the most preferred solution by the elderly. For this reason, many caregivers are exploring ways to enable the elderly to stay at home where they can age with dignity and grace. The focus is to create a home environment that is safe, comfortable, functional, and is able to adapt to the changing needs of aging family members. There has even been a growing interest amongst interior designers and other industry professionals on how to increase safety and accessibility in the home, as they have been exploring new resources to improve daily living and security for this demographic. Geriatrics is the role of healthcare in providing care to the elderly population. These age groups involve many health complications. According to the National Institute of Health, “the main threats are non-communicable diseases, including heart, stroke, cancer, diabetes, hypertension, and dementia”. Another goal is to provide management and monitoring of chronic disease in patients’ homes. Older people are embracing modern technology more than ever before. In fact, according to recent research, 77% of over-65s used the internet at home in 2020. According to the same findings, recent internet use among women aged 75 and over had more than doubled since 2011. Recent internet use in the 65-74 age group has increased from 52% in 2011 to 83% in 2019, which means older people are closing the generation gap in technology usage. Older people aren’t just using their computers either. They’re branching out into mobile phones and tablets too. Different ways technology can help older people to stay at home safe and autonomous:
Home Automation: focuses on making it possible for older adults to remain at home by using much of the same technology and equipment as home automation for security, entertainment, and energy conservation but tailors it towards old people. Telehealth is the use of electronic technology services to deliver remote clinical and non-clinical services of healthcare.
Robots: can perform small tasks like fetching food and water. Some elder care robots handle social and emotional needs by providing entertainment through games, helping remind them of events and appointments, and providing social engagement.
Internet: The possibilities are endless. The internet can help to prevent boredom, keep you connected with friends and family, and help you to stay organized.
Mobile Apps: Mobile phone technology is becoming more important for older people as society moves away from traditional landline phone connections. Despite what you may assume, mobile phones and smartphones need not be complicated. Tablets: are essentially a midpoint between laptops and mobile phones. Some of the benefits of owning a tablet include: bigger Screens, amazing Apps, affordable, great for Gaming, mobility.
Fitness devices: staying fit and healthy is very important, no matter your age.
However, staying active is especially important for older people. After all, the
healthier you are, the more chance you have of avoiding common medical conditions
such as diabetes and heart disease. There are now various fitness devices that can
help you monitor your daily activity and track your progress.
Health and monitoring devices: life-saving personal alarm systems. Other examples are Stairlifts, Scooters, or Electric Wheelchairs.
Virtual Reality: to show local places of interest to people, including a local walk and a museum.

Submit here

Topics

The Special Session will focus on, but not be limited to, topics such as:

• Home Automation:
• Robots
• Internet
• Mobile Apps
• Tablets
• Health and monitoring devices
• Fitness devices
• Virtual reality

Workshop Chairs

Paulo A. Salgado – [email protected]
Teresa P. Azevedo Perdicoúlis – [email protected]

Workshop Technical Program Committee

Krzysztof Galkowski
University of Zielona Góra, Poland
[email protected]

Lio Gonçalves
University of Trás-Os-Montes and Alto Douro, Portugal
[email protected]

Paulo Lopes dos Santos
University of Porto, Portugal
[email protected]

Senhorinha Teixeira
University of Minho, Portugal
[email protected]

Maria Teresa Galvão Dias
University of Porto, Portugal
[email protected]

Ana Maria Carvalho Almeida
ISCTE – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Portugal
[email protected]

Bio of Workshop Chairs

Paulo A. Salgado received the B.S. degree and the M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering
and Computer Science from the Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Portugal, in
1989 and 1993, respectively, and the Ph.D. degree in the same area from Universidade de
Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro University (UTAD), Portugal, in 1999. He is currently an
Associate Professor with the Department of Engineering, School of Science and Engineering
of UTAD, Portugal. His research interests include artificial intelligence, control, and robotics
science.

Teresa P. Azevedo Perdicoúlis graduated in Mathematics (Computer Science) at the University of
Coimbra in 1991, and pursued graduate studies at the University of Salford, Manchester
(UK), where she obtained an MSc degree in Electronic Control Engineering in 1995 and a
Ph.D. degree in Mathematics and Computer Science in 2000. She works for the Universidade
of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Portugal, since 1991 where she is currently an Associate
Professor. She is a founding member of the research institute ISR, University of Coimbra, and
also of SYSTEC, APCA, IFAC. Her main research interests are in the fields of differential
games, optimisation and simulation of gas networks as well as identification theory. Besides
research she has got an intense pedagogic activity, having taught many different courses in
applied mathematics to engineers. She loves hiking, cooking, reading, drawing and biking.

Paper length

Short papers: 6-11 pages

Important dates