Introduction
For fifteen years we have promoted a programme ‘Sustaining Wellbeing in Later Life’. The question does arise, however, “what is the point of all the extra years if they are characterised by decline and dependence?”
Most of the older people I know, like myself, would like to live long, live well, die quickly and have no need to rely on ‘social services’, particularly if the ultimate involvement of social services is to transfer us into a nursing home.
Julia Bate, with a professional background as a primary care pharmacist, has collated an extensive list of ‘aids’ and support systems available to help the incapacitated to continue to enjoy the comfort and familiar circumstance of their own home.
As a primary care pharmacist, Julia has an insight to the needs of homebound individuals and has identified equipment and systems that make it possible to sustain independent living. As a member of the ‘Understanding Tomorrow’s World’ team, with Dr Jack Brettle and myself, she has first hand experience of the potential of robotics and artificial intelligence that will ultimately produce increasingly more sophisticated equipment.
The results have now been published in a booklet, “Digital Aids for Sustaining Independent Living”. Note that this is a ‘work in progress’, with each day bringing new developments and our hope is that Julia can continue to capture the information and even be able to influence new development.
Dr Alex McMinn, ‘Understanding Tomorrow’s World’ Team
What’s in the booklet?
There are currently four sections in the booklet:
- Smart home devices, such as devices for voice control of home equipment, or trackers
- Health Apps, including one for detecting trips and gait abnormalities
- Robots to help in routine tasks about the home
- Driverless cars – a discussion of the present situation and future projections
Where can I get hold of a copy?
A digital version can be downloaded from here.
Last Updated on February 9, 2022
