The Telegerontology project of the UDC confirms its effectiveness in active aging

Created by a group of researchers from the University of La Coruña, The Telegerontology project for the care of the elderly has presented the results of its effectiveness in homes and residences in Galicia.

The effectiveness of the UDC This has been evident in the study, carried out over two years within the framework of the European project "Ageing+active", with the installation of the system in sixteen homes and 142 Nursing home users who have been tested before, During and after the system.

José Carlos Millán, director of the Gerontology research group at the UDC, pointed out that thanks to this system, "Users with mild dementia who are at home are able to use this device on their own".

As Millán explains, The results showed that Telegerontology improved both the user's mental performance and cognitive ability, and even allowed for the early detection of cognitive decline.

currently, more than five hundred users in Galicia use Telegerontology in their homes by 75 Euros per month, "Which would mean delaying admission to a nursing home, the cost of which is much higher", Millán stresses.

This system is based on a touch screen with simple icons so that seniors can view and operate them without problems, with a remote alarm system that allows the user to be connected by videoconference via Internet connection to a 24-hour operational control center×7 Made up of specialists and a central terminal that connects all devices and remote management.

Through this screen, some medical parameters can be controlled in a personalized way, as a cognitive state, blood pressure, pulse, Patient's oxygen saturation level, Etc., for therapeutic action.

Seniors can use video conferencing for consultations, as well as activities to exercise the memory or the psychomotor system through the videos integrated into the system, which also has a teleophthalmology element to assess the visual acuity of the online user.

The Telegerontology project is still evolving, and work is currently underway on the integration of new applications and technologies into this platform, such as power modules with appropriate menus or the integration of home automation elements to control the user's mobility in their home.

Ten years of research

The Telegerontology project was started ten years ago by a group of twenty-six researchers from the University of La Coruña. Although it was initially designed for use in homes, Its value has been proven in nursing homes and nursing homes as a useful tool for caregivers to carry out more effective follow-up.

In addition to this system, from the Faculty of Psychology of the University of Santiago, another group of experts have patented the MiAvizor system for elderly people living alone, already installed in about five hundred homes.

This system detects if the elderly person suffers a problem through the wireless sensors located in different parts of their home, in which the user's habits are analysed (whether or not there is movement, If you haven't been in the kitchen, If you haven't returned home,... and transmit the information to a control center.

Another development is the one carried out by the Telematics Engineering department of the University of Vigo, called Sam-TV, for the care and attention of the elderly, which is based on the connection of this device to the television with control from the remote control or with movement using the Microsoft Kinect system.

Sam-TV from consultation and communication services with experts, A diary to remember and take medication or know your blood pressure, among others, to leisure services to communicate with your family, Senior Chats, Related Movies & Documentaries, Etc.

Other articles on University of La Coruña, University of Santiago de Compostela, University of Vigo