Smart environment for the self-sufficient elder users

In an increasingly demographic and technological transition that is set to radically transform lifestyles and the way living environments are structured, it is necessary that all actors work together and interact with each other, migrating from the concept of a single person to the concept of community. Our research, intended to make people’s elderly lives easier, aims to bridge the gap between self-sufficient older adults, that do not need constant medical help and those that need continuous support. Through appropriate technology use, the project aims to integrate and manage the information related to the user, his environment and his health devices. A kind of invisible “care network”, supported by ICT, unites the places of their everyday lives enabling independent elders to simplify their way of life and avoid being a burden to their relatives. The technological care network must cover three different environments used by the elderly: home, community and the city. The main goal of the research proposed is to redefine the home environment by designing it on the basis of lifestyles habits, the degree of autonomy of the individual and personal needs. The home is connected both to the neighbourhood and to the city providing a link with a community of other users with similar problems and needs, with health and social care infrastructures, local medical clinical centres, recreational activities and various other services