Active-Ageing

1. Active-Ageing An Intelligent Active Mobility System for the Elderly Professor George Papageorgiou g.papageorgiou@euc.ac.cy

2. Innovation New functions for mobility technology and new meanings of social inclusion are created, via a smartphone app that encourages elderly people to walk more. The "Active-Ageing” project focuses on satisfying the needs of the elderly regarding active mobility and social activity. Elderly people are finding it extremely challenging to be physically and socially active in cities which usually lack good infrastructure and safe, comfortable walkable routes. Their special needs must be understood, and we need to find ways to satisfy them. There may be “Active-Ageing” suitable social events and walking routes that elderly people are unaware of where they can find amenities and walking paths that suit their special needs for mobility, social activity comfort, and safety. We noticed the lack of the availability of such information in our very own city, Nicosia, in Cyprus.

3. “Active-Ageing” Our design process will involve adopting tools and methods provided by DESIGNSCAPES to ensure we follow all the necessary steps to make “Active-Ageing” a user-friendly and easily understood smartphone app for the elderly. Our team are already very knowledgeable and skilled within their areas of expertise that range from information technology, information systems, economic policy and formulation, and business and marketing. For our design approach, it is also very important to involve elderly people throughout the process to make certain “Active-Ageing” is fulfilling their needs. This will be done through co -creation workshops whereby the main stakeholders will come together. Furthermore, we will also obtain information for our design via crowd-sourcing. We will use the prototyping technique so that elderly people to test and use “Active-Ageing”. In this way, we can observe their reactions, obtain feedback and adjust “Active-Ageing” where necessary to reach their needs. Design approach

4. “Active-Ageing” By encouraging elderly people to walk more and promoting a healthier lifestyle for them, we also provide multiple benefits to governments, the urban environment in addition to the benefits elderly people reap. Vehicle use is one of the largest contributors of air pollution. If elderly people are encouraged to walk more to their destinations, there will be less vehicles use, resulting in fewer carbon emissions. Therefore, governments and other local authorities benefit immensely from lower pollution and healthcare costs attributed to pollution. Additionally, pollution has been known to impede labour productivity. Hence, by reducing pollution, local authorities can benefit from increased economic activity. More active elderly people means healthier people which leads to lower healthcare costs, greater socio-economic benefits and higher quality of life. ”Active-Ageing” in turn also helps promote cleaner air, cleaner ecosystems and cleaner oceans from less pollution. By doing so, it helps reduce the environmental risks faced by animals on the brink of extinction and increases quality of life for animals. All in all, this results in reduced climate change, healthier elderly people, a more urban sustainable environment and a healthier planet for future generations. Relation to the urbanscape

5. “Active-Ageing” Scaling up prospects "Active-Ageing" system is one that can reach elderly citizens on a global scale should it be successful. It also has high adaptability so that it can be tailored to suit young, disabled and unfit people. This "Active-Ageing" system is highly flexible and manageable, and thus can easily be replicated in other contexts to suit other needs beyond those cited by the ageing population. We have already established good relationships with municipalities and elderly organizations all over Cyprus but also in Portugal, Italy, Greece, Norway increase scalability prospects. To ensure the success of "Active-Ageing", we make use of the agile method of prototyping and DESIGNSCAPES tools, to enhance growth prospects.