In 30 years, Denmark will have approx. 400,000 more senior citizens than today. Over the same period, the number of public sector employees is expected to drop markedly in step with the smaller generations. This demographic challenge creates a need for brand new types of public services and new welfare technologies.

One growing research area is ‘ageing in place’: How to provide the elderly with the possibility to stay on in their homes for as long as possible. There are several advantages of the elderly staying on in their homes. It It is cheaper for the welfare state, and studies show that most senior citizens prefer to stay in their homes. And with the proper technology, it can be significantly easier for them.

Research in this area has so far focused on helping the elderly with the physical challenges of everyday life. New assistive technologies include the rug that alerts emergency response services if you fall over in your living room, the pill box that beeps when it is time to take your medicine, and the bed that registers whether you get up in the morning.

However, it is not only the physical setting that is decisive to whether the elderly wish to stay on in their homes. Having a well-functioning social life is also a factor, and IT can be a help in creating just that. Therefore the IT University is involved in the research project Senior Interaction. The project is carried out in collaboration with Ældresagen (an association for the elderly) and the municipality of Copenhagen among others, and the aim is to create service models and interaction technologies that can strengthen the social interaction among senior citizens.

The idea is to let everyday activities function as opportunities for social interaction. By drawing attention to your activities you can create a sense of community in your everyday life. The products are not yet mature, but one example would be the digital shopping bag which informs other senior citizens in the area that you are shopping. That could invite other senior citizens to visit the super market or call and ask if you could pick up a carton of milk for them. Another example is a walking frame digitally connected to other walking frames. If you can see when your neighbours are out for a stroll, perhaps it will motivate you to meet up and take a stroll together.

Being lonely is a big taboo and not all senior citizens want to advertise their interest in making new friends. But by ‘designing around the stigma of loneliness’, researchers are trying to create space for social interaction. Either in connection with food and meals, exercise or cultural events.

The development of the new technologies is taking place through workshops in the Kongens Enghave housing estate. The development takes place in close cooperation with the senior citizens. The method is called interaction design or user-driven innovation. The homes of the elderly function as ‘living labs’: You design with the elderly, not in a lab far away from the users. Researchers build prototypes in the homes of the elderly and draw their attention to the possibilities of the technology, and together they find the final digital solutions.

The research has attracted wide interest in India which faces the same demographic challenge as Denmark, and a research collaboration has been established in Mumbai.