01 Apr Using ICT to help keep older persons healthy and happy (I/O Magazine, EN)

Older adults tend to be less active and less engaging in contact than other people. The European project PHArA-ON hopes to change this by utilising a range of digital tools. In the Netherlands, the University of Twente leads one of the pilots.

‘People in Europe are getting older than elsewhere, but that does not necessarily mean that the quality of life of these individuals is higher’, says Angelique Tinga, project manager at the University of Twente and leader of the Dutch pilot within PHArA-ON (Pilots for Healthy and Active Ageing) project. ‘Chronic illnesses arise at an earlier age. This is an increasing burden for healthcare professionals.’ And there is also the fact that half of older persons in the Netherlands feel lonely. Both illnesses and loneliness among this group arise partly because of the lack of activity and contact with family and friends. Tinga and her European colleagues think that digital tools could be part of the solution.

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