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Motive Joins EUR1.3m European Project to Help Elderly Stay in Their Own Homes Longer
KENDAL, England, April 23 /PRNewswire/ -- North West-based software development company, Motive, has secured a role as supporting partner to Siemens in developing state-of-the-art household appliances, aimed at improving the quality of life of elderly people and extending the length of time they can live independently at home. The Easyline project forms an essential part of the European Commission's push to ensure that the ever-growing elderly population has enough resources to maintain an independent lifestyle. As this population increases nursing home and care staff resources will struggle to keep up; the collaborative project team is therefore looking to technology to provide alternative options. Focusing on the development of low-cost advanced white goods that are able to talk to each other to monitor and support elderly people at home, the project will design a new system of "ever-present computing" to compensate for the reduced physical and cognitive abilities which often lead to loss of independence for the elderly. The system will act as a central 'e-servant' in the elderly person's home, using sensor information to monitor the habits of the user, programming any appliance with or without their co-operation. It will also be able to detect any loss of user abilities and work to compensate them, whilst communicating with a support network of carers or family members, alerting them to any potential or actual problems. Andy Derrick, MD of Motive comments: "To bring benefits to all segments of the population, including people who are disadvantaged due to age or disability is to be part of something truly revolutionary. This is technology making a difference in real terms - both in reducing the burden of care and, most importantly, in transforming the lives of elderly people by giving them back their independence. "Motive were chosen as the software development partner due to our web development experience, graphical user interface skills and knowledge of accessibility issues such as complying with the Disabilities Discrimination Act. We are very excited to be part of the project and wholeheartedly support Siemens decision to investigate this crucial area," concludes Andy. NOTES FOR EDITORS A background document and diagram of the project in action are available for further information. To discuss the role that Motive is playing please contact Marketing Manager, Jo Amos in the first instance on +44(0)845-351-2382.
