the human link

vINCI develop of an integrated and validated evidence-based Internet of Things (IoT) framework to deliver non-intrusive monitoring and support for older adults to augment professional health care giving.

Clinically-validated INtegrated Support for Assistive Care and Lifestyle Improvement: the Human Link

vINCI’s aim is to enhance older adults’ active ageing and, as a result, their QoL through technology. vINCI provides an integrated technology platform where the older adult is unobtrusively monitored (blending technology) through sets of pluggable technology (extensible technology), his personal records being securely stored (privacy-aware technology) and analysed to extract information to be delivered to his caregivers (through a unique dashboard) for early detection of symptoms related to impairments associated with old age (proactive loop), and for triggering alerts related to possible incidents (i.e. like falling, reactive loop). vINCI develops the integrated technology for objective monitoring and instrumentation of the QoL intervention (i.e. caregiver would be given objective results of the QoL evolution following the intervention). As QoL is associated with the sense of independence older adult’s experience, vINCI will provide the technology means for them to be in constant link with their family and friends (“the Human Link”), and with their caregivers. As vINCI must significantly improve and nourish QoL conditions for older adults by integrating leading technologies, it has been carefully premised around three complementary themes: connect, collate, and care. Consequently, the vINCI aims are:

connect

Deploy, integrate and enhance existing and standardized IoT technologies, for personalized monitoring and support for QoL of older adults.

collate

Extract and model domain-specific knowledge for continuous intelligent monitoring using data analytics for smart follow-up of advanced age.

care

Enhance and sustain active aging of older adults preventative and counteractive technologies approaches for long-term support.

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THE vINCI PLATFORM

vINCI platform deliver non-intrusive monitoring and care support for older adults, which lead to an increase level of wellbeing, QoL and perceived health. It includes:

Individual and group monitoring

vINCI will develop an IoT-based eco-system to deliver non-intrusive monitoring and care support for older adults. Personal sensed data will be securely monitored starting from sensors (e.g. detecting physical and social activity), coupled with data gathered from wearable devices (e.g. smart watch, smart clothing/shoes

monitor and support services for older adults

vINCI will develop unobtrusive Open Data analytics mechanisms to monitor and support services for older adults to augment professional cognitive care giving.

THE PILOTS

vINCI proposes the development of two validated evidence-based pilots in Cyprus and Romania, and two open-calls validation sites in Slovenia and Poland.

Pilot country Cyprus

The University of Nicosia Research Foundation (UNRF) leads the pilot in Cyprus. 20 older adults in the city of Nicosia and surrounding areas test the vINCI technologies in their own homes or medical centers.

Pilot country Romania

The test country Romania is led by National Institute of Gerontology and Geriatrics “Ana Aslan” (NIGG). 30 older adults are testing for clinical validation in the city of Bucharest. Both studies are focused on establishing a path analysis model and a confirmatory analysis model.

The pilots will test and explore different IoT technologies devoted to monitoring physical and cognitive habits on a population of older adults.

THE EVALUATION

The four vINCI kits will integrate FIWARE devices and business models using the vINCI platform in different settings: living labs/homes, outpatients clinics, and outdoors. Evaluation dimensions are:

SYSTEM DESIGN

Lab and field testing and validation of system functionalities, which include feedback from test participants.

system impact

vINCI satisfies the four basic ethical principles of research and intervention: autonomy, confidentiality, beneficence / non-maleficence and justice.

Older person profile

End users' physical and psyho-cognitive characteristics and causal relationship to their wellbeing, perceived health and QoL.

USAGE PATTERNS

Users’ interactions with the system.

Funding programme

AAL is a European programme funding innovation that keeps us connected, healthy, active and happy into our old age.

The AAL Programme is a funding activity that aims to create better conditions of life for the older adults and to strengthen the international industrial opportunities in the area of information and communication technology (ICT). It carries out its mandate through funding of cross-national projects (at least three countries involved) that involve small and medium enterprises (SME), research bodies and end-user organisations (representing older adults).

AAL supports the development of products and services that make a real difference to people’s lives – for those facing some of the challenges of ageing and for those who care for older people if they need help.