Project: AAL WeCare 2.0

Acronym	WeCare (Reference Number: aal-2009-2-026)
Duration	11/02/2010 - 11/11/2012
Project Topic	The key goal of the WeCare project is to empower the elderly to successfully adopt the concept of social networking into their daily lives. Social networking can become a very effective and vital communication and social interaction tool should mobility be reduced due to ill-health or handicap; improving seniors autonomy making it possible for them to live longer at home and enhancing their quality of life. One internet service, WeCare 2.0, will be developed. The system aims –amongst others- to provide support to family and friends who provide informal care. As a result, the demand for professional care and social services will decrease. The service integrates communication, coordination and information, and helps people to participate within and between social networks using adaptable Graphical User Interface technologies focusing on the needs and abilities of the end user that can be deployed on multiple types of hardware ranging from mobile phones to interactive displays. The service includes emerging state of the art social collaboration Web 2.0 technologies such as easy-to-use activity planners, video communication, forums and news. Seniors and stakeholders will be involved during the project, to ensure that WeCare 2.0 matches their needs and preferences. User trials will be conducted in The Netherlands, Ireland, Spain and Finland. The project aims to highlight how the WeCare 2.0 system can be easily adapted to meet the needs and requirements of various user groups and thereby increasing the chances for successful commercialisation of the system. A strategic business plan will be developed to outline the proposed market entry strategy for the WeCare 2.0 system. The consortium has considerable proven technical expertise and strong skills sets. The consortium is well-balanced and includes research and user organisations (TNO, ANBO; I2BC, FASS; VTT, Caritas), a large industrial partner (Ericsson) and several SME’s (ShareCare, Videra, Skytek).
Website	visit project website
Network	AAL
Call	Call 2 – SOCIAL INTERACTION

Project partner

Number	Name	Role	Country
	Algemene nederlandse bond voor ouderen		Netherlands
	Caritas Foundation		Finland
	Ericsson Telecommunicatie B.V.		Netherlands
	Fundación Andaluza de Servicios Sociales		Spain
	Institute of Innovation for Human Wellbeing		Spain
	Nederlandse Organisatie voor toegepast-natuurwetenschappelijk onderzoek (TNO)		Netherlands
	SIMAC/ShareCare		Netherlands
	Skytek Ltd.		Ireland
	Videra Ltd.		Finland
	VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland		Finland