Additional places now available to over 65’s with multiple chronic health conditions in revolutionary new healthcare project being trialled by Dundalk Institute of Technology

The research team, based in Dundalk have been overwhelmed by older people engaging with the ProACT project and are delighted to announce there are 10 additional places for people who are aged over 65 and who have been diagnosed with two or more of the following chronic conditions: diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including emphysema or chronic bronchitis, heart failure or chronic heart disease (angina, hypertension, atherosclerosis, arrhythmia) to participate in the trial.  Up to five people in the care network supporting the older person (e.g. family member, informal carer and healthcare professionals) can also participate in the trial.

The project is called ProACT and it has the potential to vastly improve the healthcare being delivered to older people who have multiple chronic conditions, by putting them at the centre of their own care.  The project aims to empower older people and their carers to take more control of their health and wellbeing by centring support on them in their home and by incorporating timely, proactive interventions to improve their conditions.

The researchers at NetwellCASALA are interested to see how specially designed technology can support people in an everyday setting, to learn more about their health and to help them to manage their health conditions and overall wellbeing from home. 

The 12 month trial is scheduled to start in April. All necessary devices, as well as full support and guidance on using the technology, will be provided throughout the trial by trained researchers.

If you, or someone you know, is over 65 and has two or more chronic conditions (diabetes, COPD, chronic heart failure or chronic heart disease) and has not been diagnosed with dementia, we’d love to hear from you.  Please contact Suzanne Smith at NetwellCASALA for more information on 0429370497 extension 2501 or email Suzanne.smith@netwellcentre.org  or go to www.netwellcasala.org.

For more information on NetwellCASALA please go to www.netwellcasala.org and for more information on ProACT please go to www.proact2020.eu or contact Karen Coan on 0876590667 or Karen.coan@dkit.ie

Note to editor:

NetwellCASALA is a Research Centre in Dundalk Institute of Technology, specialising in researching innovations to support Ageing in Place (i.e. technologies and programmes which can help older people to live at home for longer).

The research centre has received over €12 million in funding over the past ten years to support its key projects.  These include the Great Northern Haven, assisted living apartment complex in Barrack Street Dundalk, ProACT a European Commission Horizon 2020 project, MAESTRO and EU Ambient Assisted Living innovation project and Social Innovation Ireland’s Google ThinkTech project along with several key applied research projects and social innovation programmes.

ProACT is a €4.87million European Commission Horizon 2020 project, which aims to develop an ecosystem to integrate a wide variety of new and existing technologies to improve and advance home based integrated care for older people with two or more diseases (COPD, Chronic Heart Failure, Diabetes and Coronary Heart Disease).

The eco-system is centred on the older person and consists of homecare, hospital care, community care and social support networks.  ProACT is a consortium led by Trinity College and includes the HSE, IBM Research, AIAS, NetwellCASALA, IMEC, Tyndall National Institute, Treelogic, Home Instead Senior Care, EASPD and ASP di Bologna.  The project started in June 2016 and is due to complete in 2019.