An ageing society

The statistics around the age and well-being of our societies are clear. There will be an ever-increasing percentage of older people whose healthcare needs will grow. At the same time, the number of people available to act as carers will fall, as will the number of people in work and paying taxes to pay for healthcare. Without changes to the manner in which we deliver healthcare, the situation will become increasingly problematic.

It is likely that there will be many elements to the solution. One of these may be the use of technology to allow people to stay in their homes for longer and to live healthier lives. Wireless may have a role to play as discussed in this chapter, which builds on earlier chapters looking at technology and wireless in the healthcare arena.

Assisted-living solutions can be divided into the following categories.

• Telehealth – delivering medical care, treatment, or monitoring services to old and disabled people at home from a remote location.

• Telecare – delivering social care/monitoring services to old and disabled people at home from a remote location. This includes preventative care.

• Healthy-living services – delivering services for healthier lifestyles to old and disabled people at home from a remote location.

• Engagement services – delivering services into the home from a remote location, to engage older and disabled people in terms of social, educational or entertainment activities.

• Teleworking – working remotely from home for an employer, or voluntary work, or as a self-employed person who needs remote computing to work successfully with others.