Thessaloniki: “Smart” devices and remote assistance applications for the elderly

“Smart” devices and teleassistance applications have been put at the service of the elderly in recent years, in an effort to improve their quality of life, achieve the goal of safe aging and assist the independent living of elderly people who live alone or in remote areas.

In this context, as the Deputy Regional Governor for Health and Social Solidarity of the Region of Central Macedonia, Melina Dermendzopoulou, points out in APE – BPE, through the participation of the Region and the Regional Development Fund of Central Macedonia in the transnational project “SI4CARE” – “Social innovation for integrated care health of the elderly in the ADRION Regions”, good practices applied in the region have been collected.

These include the “Click of Life”, with which three thousand elderly people in Central Macedonia can call for help, in case of emergency, with the push of a button, the program “Help at Home” implemented by the municipalities, the integrated system health care LLM Care of the Laboratory of Medical Physics of the Department of Medicine of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) and the Captain project of the Laboratory of Medical Physics of the Department of Medicine of the AUTH.

The LLM Care system is a certified product of advanced technology that combines mental exercises and physical activity for the elderly, with the aim of prolonging independent and autonomous living. The Captain project, on the other hand, proposes technological solutions that help the elderly stay alert, exercise and practice their memory skills.

On the occasion of the final event of the European project “SI4CARE” today in Thessaloniki, Mrs. Dermentzopoulou emphasizes that good practices have been gathered that are also applied by the other partners of the program from Slovenia, Italy, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia.

As an example, he cites a project of the Municipality of Ljubljana, through which the free transport of the elderly living in border areas is ensured so that they can participate in events and various activities and remain socially active.

At the same time, in the same city, there is an application for mobile phones that supports patients in the self-management of their disease. The app includes a personalized exercise plan, nutrition advice, medication reminders and self-monitoring tips.

According to the deputy governor, the next goals of the Region of Central Macedonia are to expand the “Click Life” program by increasing the number of beneficiaries and using more sophisticated devices, as well as the integration of other good practices in its actions to reduce the digital divide and the digital illiteracy in old age but also for the support of the elderly.