ESRC/TSB Public Policy Seminar

‘Social and Behavioural issues influencing the development and adoption of Assisted Living Technologies’

Location: Hilton London Metropole, London

A seminar organised by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Technology Strategy Board (TSB).

A significant element driving the challenges of the Assisted Living Innovation Platform’s (ALIP) is the UK’s ageing population and the projected increase in people with chronic/long term disease conditions. We aim to respond to this challenge through advancing the technology to maintain independent living and quality of life whilst promoting economic growth for UK industry on a national and international level. By 2021 half of the UK’s adult population will be over 50 years old and already the number of people over 60 years of age is greater than that 16 years and under. There are 14m people in the UK living with a disability; 868,000 of this number is age related. By 2025, age related disability is expected to rise to 1,446,000. This is a 67% increase and the number of people with Long-Term Conditions (LTCs) is expected to rise exponentially. It is accepted that health and wellbeing are socially patterned and that any attempt to improve people’s health status through assistive technology must be intertwined with an understanding of the social, psycho-social and behavioural components of the individual’s life and environment. The ALIP is accordingly looking at what research is required in social and behavioural studies.

The purpose of the seminar is to understand how the social and behavioural components of society, the individual along with his/her family, carers and significant others can contribute to the development, procurement (private and public) and mainstreaming of realistic and relevant solutions to meet the needs of the ageing population and those with LTCs. This Policy Seminar will also contribute to the scoping of our next call which will focus explicitly on Social and Behavioural Studies.

The seminar will take place at the Hilton London Metropole, London on 11 September 2009 from 9.30am to 3:00pm, including refreshments and a workshop session.

The seminar will be led by a leading figure in the field; Professor Charlotte Clarke, Nursing Practice Development Research, from Northumbria University presenting a literature review of the evidence base on awareness/knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of users (client, patient, carers, clinicians, practitioners and other stakeholders), barriers to adoption as well as inclusive and user-centred design. The academic presentation will be followed by response from a panel of key academic, industry, health care and third sector representatives. There will follow an opportunity for group discussion and Questions and Answer session.

The aim of the seminar series is to explore questions around factors such as socio-economic status, employment and retirement status, geographical location, stigmatisation, ageism in society at large, social policy, gender, ethnicity, culture, educational levels, family and carer involvement as well as the attitudes and behaviours of health and social care workers.

Places for this seminar are limited. E-mail your acceptance to the ESRC Knowledge Transfer Team (knowledgetransfer@esrc.ac.uk).
 
If you have any queries about this seminar please do not hesitate to contact me (marzena.bien@esrc.ac.uk).

 
Marzena Bien
Knowledge Transfer Team
Economic and Social Research Council
Polaris House
North Star Avenue
Swindon
SN2 1UJ
www.esrcsocietytoday.ac.uk