Allia is a partner in AgeTech Accelerator, a European project that looks at how to equip homes with the right adaptions and technologies to help older people live at home longer. Allia needs information from older people and from their carers and family to find out what their needs and requirements are.
Along with Anglia Ruskin, Allia is looking for older people and their families and carers to take part in an online survey, giving opinions and feedback on products and services that could help them to age the way they want.
The market for goods and services designed specifically for those in the later stages of life is growing as fast as the older population itself. And the power of the ‘silver pound’ is a hot topic of the moment.
Allia and Anglia Ruskin are the local arm of the AgeTech Accelerator programme, which aims to harness the vast experience, ideas and insights of older members of society in design, creation and testing to create the best products and services for later life living.
Older citizens have helped design and improve products which help mobility, sleep quality and preventing falls as well as products to keep people suffering from early stage dementia independent and safe.
No previous experience is necessary to get involved – AgeTech Accelerator welcomes people of all backgrounds and stages of older life to join in the survey, local sessions, and events.
There are two surveys – one for older people, and another for their family or carers. Joining in the surveys offers a chance to contribute to an interesting and worthwhile social challenge, to influence the way society views ageing and the opportunity to try out new products ahead of others by using them at home.
Dr Lorraine Morley from Allia says: “Who better is there to help create the right kind of homes for us to age independently and happily than the older generation themselves?
“The survey will help us to properly understand older peoples wants, needs and aspirations and I would encourage anyone over sixty-five to fill it in.
“We are also interested in the views of the families and carers of older people who are beginning to think about how their parents might age in place and we have a separate survey for them too.”
Dr David Arkell from Lord Ashcroft Business School at Anglia University is similarly encouraging and says: “While academic research is important in understanding the connections between aspects of ageing, getting practical input from older people to this important project means we can apply our findings in a really tangible way.
“This is a great opportunity for our older community to influence how the later stages of their life might look.”
The AgeTech Accelerator programme is funded by SEAS2Grow, a cross-border Interreg initiative and has been running for just over two years. Other partners are based in France, the Netherlands and Belgium and the programme works with citizens across the four countries on combating and solving challenges of ageing.
Find out more about the surveys and take them here.
For more information on AgeTech Accelerator and how to get involved, email the team hello@agetechaccelerator.com.