Innovative ideas to spark a revolution in long term care
Radical ideas with the potential to revolutionise the approach to long term care are being funded by the UK’s innovation agency the Technology Strategy Board (TSB).
Six business-led projects aiming to transform quality of life for older adults are to share £2.4m (~€2.9m) in funding. The funding follows a week-long workshop which sets to develop radical, risky and novel ideas with the potential for real commercial value.
Iain Gray, chief executive of the TSB, said: “We focus innovation activity on areas where we think it can make the biggest difference. Late life care is often regarded as an economic liability but it can actually be an engine for economic growth.
“This is an expanding market and we need to radically rethink our approach to long term care provision, providing options that will enable people to live with more dignity and autonomy,” he added.
One of the six projects will create a humanised avatar to act as a digital champion for older people, capturing their individual preferences to create a joined-up care plan. Another applies the training principles for high performance athletes to people with long term health issues, and a third project assesses tolerance levels for stages of specific conditions.
The funding competition, called the ‘Long Term Care Revolution’, is funded through the Small Business Research Initiative scheme, which connects public sector challenges with innovative ideas from industry.
