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| AAL Forum Vienna 2009 |
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Vienna (pts029/29.09.2009/13:10) - Representatives of the Austrian Federal Government and the European Commission opened the first European Forum for Ambient Assisted Living on Tuesday at Vienna's Hofburg. Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) is a European program for increasing the quality of life of elderly people. At the center of its focus are technologies and services that support older people in their daily lives and enable them to stay in their own homes as long as possible.
The FORUM will be the first event of an international series of conferences in the overall AAL program and will function as an information and discussion platform for the affected, scientists, applicants, businesses, public institutions and social organisations.
Demographic change and increasing lifespans of people in Europe provide the background for the event. They pose big challenges in social and economic terms but also constitute enormous opportunities. In the future, the need for new, innovative and usable goods and services for elderly people will grow. Key thematic points are national and European activities, research and development, and economic aspects of the program in which 20 EU member states, as well as Switzerland, Israel and Norway, are participating.
High-ranking officials from the political, economic, research and caring sectors are attending the first AAL-Forum. Firms like Philips, Siemens, Kapsch, BEKO and economic institutions like the Fraunhofer Institute in Portugal, the Luzern Academy and Twente University in the Netherlands are presenting their applied-research results in their own exhibits. Bernd Marin (AT), Jeroen Wals (NL) and Holly Jimison (USA) are presenting keynote addresses.
Demand for Ambient Assisted Living is increasing
The experts assume that demand for goods and services for elderly target groups will continue to increase - whether in terms of support for an active lifestyle, need for care, independent living or an increase of comfort, security and mobility. Those will create a variety of market opportunities for businesses. Seniors who need help and care belong to constantly growing target groups - which included half a million Austrians in 2004. Some 425,000 people under care and 23,500 mobile help- and care-givers belong to secondary groups that profit indirectly from new developments in Austria.
October 1: Day of Elderly People
October 1 is dedicated to "The Day of Elderly People." The UN established the day in 1990 and dedicated it to the activities of elderly people and the benefits of their participation in society. Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has said that "the entire world can profit from the older generation. Since people around the world are living longer, the process of ageing must be as productive, active and healthy as possible."
Twenty-five businesses and institutions are exbititing their goods and services for "active and independent elderly people" at AAL FORUM '09. Hands-on games for older people have been tested recently, and an information afternoon for representatives of elderly people's organisations will take place on 30 September.
AAL FORUM '09 will deal with the following themes:
National AAL Activities in Europe: Some EU member states have established their own national programmes in addition to AAL's overall programme. The AAL Forum will be a venue for exchanges of information and provide participants the opportunity to learn from the experiences of others.
Economic and Business Models: AAL Forum '09 will concern itself with the question of how the economy and society will meet growing demand for goods and services for elderly people. What will be required of investors, and what will the general framework for business models in the public sector look like? Considering that the generation older than 50 has the most purchasing power in the population, there is enormous potential in that economic sector.
Users: All interest groups participating in the development process must be involved to ensure the success of European AAL programmes. AAL solutions must be accepted by elderly people as well as by service providers and social institutions that work daily with them. Usable and affordable solutions will be possible only if end-users participate in the ongoing development process.
Trends: The European Commission and EU member states have made significant investments in technology-oriented research for improvement of the quality of life of elderly people. AAL Forum 2009 will discuss trends and show how ageing in a liveable environment can be enhanced.
Information about AAL Forum: http://www.bmvit.gv.at/aal
AAL Joint Programme: http://www.aal.europe.eu
The Federal Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology (bmvit) is the local organiser of AAL Forum '09 and and project manager of the programme in Austria. The European AAL Association based in Belgium is the co-organiser. The Austrian Computer Society (OCG) is involved in implementation of the programme as a partner of the AAL-Forum.
Contact: Federal Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology, Alexandra Kuhn, Tel: +43/1/71162 653104, Email: aal@bmvit.gv.at
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