Maturolife

Maturolife_updated_logo> Theme:     Assistive Technologies for Independent Urban Living

> Timeline:   1 January 2018 – 31 December 2020

> Keywords: #assisstivetechnology #independentliving #assisstedliving #codesign #cocreation #smarttextiles #smartfabrics #eHealth #urbanliving #electrochemistry #nanotechnology
  

Description

Assistive Technologies (AT) can help older persons live independently for longer. However, they are often experienced as stigmatising and uncomfortable due to a lack of relevance, poor design, or weak reliability. Therefore, too often older persons give them up instead of benefitting from them. MATUROLIFE aims at addressing this gap by co-designing prototypes of new ATs with end-users. Functional but more fashionable, desirable and acceptable AT solutions in the areas of footwear, clothing and furniture will be developed.

Most existing ATs are currently used for tele-monitoring, fall prevention, healthy eating, physical activity, and robotics. MATUROLIFE will make a breakthrough by developing smart textiles and fabrics to contribute to the independence, quality of life and dignity of older persons living in urban areas. Better designed and accepted ATs will also help reduce the costs of long-term care due to reduced needs.

To do so, MATUROLIFE will follow a genuine co-design approach. The co-design approach will take the form of co-creation workshops where older persons will be directly involved and will work together with designers. At a later stage, once the prototypes are developed, they will again be invited to test the suggested solutions. The workshops will be held in all nine countries of the project consortium to make sure that various cultural values are taken into account and if needed to adapt the solutions to each country.
  

Final Outcome

The design of AT will be focused on the needs of older people living in an urban environment and will emerge through co-design workshops with older adults working alongside designers to co-create solutions. Based on initial analysis of needs and discussions with care providers, the prototypes will be linked to:

  • Clothing: the discreet incorporation of sensors to alert for movements, vital signs and dehydration. Dehydration is particularly important (urban areas are hotter) which is associated with increased rates of urinary tract infections, constipation, etc.
  • Furniture: sofas and seats with sensors to detect ambient and body temperature – to prompt activity and an adjustment of environmental conditions to meet individual needs.
  • Footwear: shoes for tracking and warning of danger. Many older people live in small flats in urban environments and this AT would help to avoid falls (as well as alerting to collapse) particularly for visually impaired and with blue tooth beacons and receptors, safe areas could be created. In addition, this type of AT could support tracking and way-finding.  

 

AGE involvement

AGE Platform Europe will be responsible to ensure the involvement of older persons as end-users, by running a Stakeholder Representative Panel during the course of the project and by recruiting individuals to participate the co-creation workshops and the testing of the developed solutions. We will contact you in due time, but please feel free to inform us about your interest in participating at any time.
  

Involved AGE Staff

- Ilenia Gheno (ilenia.gheno@age-platform.eu)

- Vera Hörmann (vera.hoermann@age-platform.eu)
 

Partners

Useful Links

 

Short Description: 
- Assistive Technologies for Independent Urban Living of Older Persons
New technologies
Design for all

Project news:

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The contents of the articles are the sole responsibility of AGE Platform Europe and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Commission.