Optimal Care.

Deggendorf Institute of Technology:

In the “BLADL” research project at the Deggendorf Institute of Technology, academics are investigating how existing data sources can be used to help seniors live in their own homes as long as possible.

To this end, data from smart meters across 20 test households was collected and analyzed. Artificial intelligence is used to identify the ‘digital footprint’ of individual electricity and water consumers. In this way, an activity profile can be obtained. If a resident’s activity deviates too much from their typical behavior, this may indicate an inactivity and thus an emergency situation.

Link to the project

Kempten University of Applied Sciences:

The research project “Use of a digital care application for informal caregivers and its effects on everyday care” (DiVa) deals with the question of how the possible use of a digital care solution is perceived by caregiving relatives and their personal support network during everyday care.

Although caregiving households often differ in terms of their needs and situations, it is apparent that many caregivers are confronted with very similar challenges: a lack of clarity on how to obtain care-related services and consultations, along with a high amount of organisational effort and time to be able to coordinate care properly. To address these challenges, various digital services have taken it upon themselves to provide solutions for these needs and to find innovative solutions to support family caregivers in overcoming these challenges.

For this project, the Bavarian Research Center for Digital Health and Social Care (BYPD) at the Kempten University of Applied Sciences is researching a digital solution that is ready to hit the market. The application provides various information on all aspects of home care and offers functions for organizing everyday care, either alone or as a group. As part of the qualitative research project DiVa, the digital solution will be used to investigate which functions of the app are used in real life care settings, who can be digitally supported in the organization of everyday care and in which manner, and to what extent the provision of information and communication via a care app can contribute to relieving the caregiving burden. As a test, the app will be used by about 15 informal caregivers over a period of about 5 months. At the start, the care is simply recorded without a specific digital care solution in mind. Later in the process, the respondents will be asked to reflect on the different aspects of everyday caregiving that have changed as a result of using the app.

Link to the project

The Technical University of Munich (TUM)

The Munich Institute of Robotics and Machine Intelligence (MIRMI) is researching the future of health as part of the “Geriatronics” initiative. The project results from demographic change in Germany and pursues the goal of meeting the challenges of later life through the use of intelligent robotics which enable older people to live independent lives in their own homes.

To accomplish this, the Research Center for Geriatronics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen will be further expanded over the next few years. The research focus of this center is, among other things, the further development of the autonomous service humanoid GARMI, specifically the development of telehealth services, fine motor skills and a multifunctional robot head. Through an integrated experience center and diverse field tests within pilot homes, the robotic systems developed at the Garmisch-Partenkirchen site will benefit local seniors directly at an early stage through collaborations with local retirement and nursing home operators.

Link to the project