IOS Press published the "Handbook of Ambient Assisted Living - Technology for Healthcare, Rehabilitation and Well-being" in its Ambient Intelligence and Smart Environments series.
The 2nd newsletter of the INDEPENDENT project was published. It contains an overview of the project work in 2011, detailed information about all pilot sites and more.
So far more than 450 patients were admitted to the CommonWell partner hospital using the new technology- supported service processes as developed in CommonWell. First evaluation results indicate that the new service has improved working processes in the “Diakoniestationen” of the social care providers.
In order to improve the assessment, provision and quality of the different public services in Andalusia, the regional government has carried out a number of restructuring changes. Among these changes, FASS (Andalusian Foundation for Social Services) and FADAIS (Foundation for Support of Social Integration) have been integrated within the new “Agencia de Servicios Sociales y Dependencia de Andalucia” (ASSDA) in spring 2011.
CommonWell and INDEPENDENT are mentioned as examples of best practice in a White Paper of Health and Social Care Coordination in Spain.
Integrated care for older people spanning across the silos that separate social and health care in many countries can be both more effective and more efficient than disjointed forms of support. This particularly where integrated care processes are supported through ICT in a meaningful way. This was the common view voiced by all participants in the recent conference “Beyond Silos - The Why and How of ICT in Integrated Care Service Provision”. About 60 representatives of research, policy and practice from all over Europe found their way to the Evoluon conference centre in the Dutch city of Eindhoven on the 23rd of November to meet, share and learn.
The CommonWell Advisory Board met on 24 November in Eindhoven, right after the European conference “Beyond Silos - The Why and How of ICT in Integrated Care Service Provision”.
CommonWell was invited to be part of a benchlearning exercise among different initiatives making use of ICT to support and empower vulnerable population groups.
The pilot in Milton Keynes is now nearing its completion. The pilot was running for over 12 months with 100 users and will now be available as mainstream service to patients with COPD and other long term conditions in Milton Keynes.
Since January 2011 the CommonWell pilot is running in Veldhoven. PoZoB and SHOKO strongly cooperated with GP's from the region South-East Brabant to include patients with chronic heart failure in the pilot. The first reactions from patients and their relatives are very positive!
Members of the CommonWell team will attend the International Telecare & Telehealth Conference 2011 on 14 - 16 November 2011 in London to present first outcomes of our pilot trials on integrated social and health care in the UK, Spain, Germany and the Netherlands.
