Due to longer life expectancy and declining fertility rates, Europe’s ageing population is growing fast. In order to maximize our wellbeing as we age and to reduce the economic burden on our welfare systems, we need to adopt preventive policies that will promote active and healthy ageing. The good news is: research and technological development can help our societies take up the challenge.
In this complex context, NESTORE will accompany healthy adults in adopting good approaches and habits in different personal dimensions thus developing and promoting customised pathways to wellbeing. As the mythological Nestor, NESTORE will act as a wise e-companion that will operate into the physical and virtual domains through tangible objects, wearable and environmental distributed sensorsystem, as well as software and apps enabling monitoring and coaching in the main dimensions of human life:
(1) Cognitive capabilities, (2) Mental and physiological wellbeing, (3) Nutrition, (4) Physiological status and physical activity, and (5) Social interaction.
Technically speaking, NESTORE's ambitious objective is to develop an innovative, multi-dimensional, crossdisciplinary and personalized coaching system that, leveraging ICT social connectivity, will support older adults by encouraging them to become co-producers of their wellness. NESTORE's core is an advanced Decision Support System continuosly fed with personal data from sensors to have the best customisation and efficacy for each individual who is led towards a healtier lifestyle. NESTORE system will be developed through co-design methods and activities with potential users in three pilot countries (Italy, Netherlands, Spain) based on a participatory methodology developed and refined in the United Kingdom.
The Expert's view
Dr. Simone Porcelli, Senior Researcher at the Institute of Biomedical Technologies of the National Research Council, Italy, explains that:
Literature reveals that multi-domain lifestyle interventions are more effective than mono-domain interventions for several outcomes related to health of elderly people and adherence to a healthy lifestyle may directly protect against cognitive decline or may prevent diseases. However, multi-domain intervention strategies are usually difficult to be integrated at an optimal level into the daily regime of healthy older individuals. NESTORE tries to overcome this issue by coaching users from different aspects (i.e., healthy diet, physical exercises, cognitive training, and social activities) and suggesting them different activities by a feasible, cost-effective, and engaging approach. All activities suggested are driven from both a strong scientific background and an evidence-based approach to provide the users the best support for his/her change toward a healthier lifestyle.
Partnership
The Politecnico di Milano is the coordinator of the NESTORE project with a consortium composed of 16 partners from eight European countries: AGE Platform Europe (Belgium), Flextronics Design, Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche, La Meridiana Due and, Neosperience (Italy), Technische Universiteit Delft and, Hoogendoorn Growth Management (Netherlands), Ropardo (Romania), Fundacio Eurecat, Universitat De Barcelona and, Fundacio Salut I Envelliment (Spain), Haute Ecole Specialisée De Suisse Occidentale and, Universitaet Zuerich (Switzerland), Sheffield Hallam University and, Loughborough University (UK).
The NESTORE project is funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 769643
Related content
Projects story | 08 Březen 2021
42měsíční cesta končí. V rámci projektu NESTORE v rámci programu Horizont 2020, který byl financován za účelem vytvoření prototypu virtuálního trenéra s cílem motivovat zdravé a aktivní návyky k lepším životním podmínkám, se dne 25. února 2021 uskutečnil závěrečný seminář on-line.