End users beneficiaries (in)formal carers

The OASIS services explained - A guide for older people who will use the OASIS applications

What is OASIS?

OASIS is a European Research Project conducted by 31 partners from 11 countries. In this partnership research centers, universities, industries, small and medium enterprises, not-for-profit associations, public organisations and a healthcare center are involved. You may view the full list of the OASIS partners here: http://www.oasis-project.eu/index.php/lang-en/consortium-topmenu-37
This project is running for 4 years and will conclude its activities on December 31st 2011.
OASIS is partially funded by the European Commission and partially by its partners.

What is the aim of OASIS?

OASIS wants to improve the quality of life and the availability of services for older people. In particular, OASIS makes use of new technologies in order to support older people in their daily activities, help them to live independently and foster their overall wellbeing. All of the OASIS services are especially developed taking into account the needs and expectations of older people, making sure that these are accessible and usable by them.

Which are the key areas of activity of OASIS?

OASIS is working on the following key areas of older peoples' lives:

Health & Independent Living

OASIS has developed a number of services that help older people to lead healthy and autonomous lives. These services include the Nutritional Advisor, the Activity Coach, the Brain Trainer, the Health Monitoring and the Environmental Control.

Social Relationships

OASIS provides a way for older people to enhance their social lives, communicate with family and peers and stay active. This is achieved through its Social Communities Platform.

Transport & Personal Mobility

OASIS has designed a number of tools which help older people to plan their trips and empower them to move easily and autonomously. These tools include transport information services, transport route guidance and car applications that can improve their personal mobility.

Working environments

OASIS supports older people who want to continue working from anywhere at any time with specialized technologies that allow them to work remotely and be efficient.

Which services were developed by OASIS?

OASIS has developed the following holistic services:
1. Nutritional Advisor
The Nutritional Advisor is an application for the kitchen that facilitates cooking and shopping and influences older people's nutritional habits through customized menus and food tips.
2. Activity Coach
The Activity Coach can recognize and manage older people's physical activity and act as a useful tool to improve their health through personalized support.
3. Brain Trainer
The Brain Trainer is a memory training application which stimulate older people's mind in a fun and relaxing way.
4. Health Monitoring
The Health Monitoring manages older people's health remotely and assures their wellbeing.
5. Environmental Control
The Environmental Control system of OASIS can improve the quality of life and autonomy of older people at home.
6. Social Community Platform
The Social Community Platform uses internet and mobile technologies to create new social networks and alternative leisure activities for older people.
7. Transport Information Services
The Transport Information Services provide tools that can help older people in planning their trips.
8. Transport Route Guidance
The Transport Route Guidance allows older people to walk and drive safely and easily.
9. Car applications for personal mobility
The Personal Mobility Applications can extend the functionalities of cars and improve the driving experience of older people
10. Smart Workplaces
The Smart Workplaces service allows older people to be efficient working from anywhere at any time.
For more information please click on each application.

1. The Nutritional Advisor

The Nutritional Advisor is an application for the kitchen that facilitates cooking and shopping and influences older people's nutritional habits through customized menus and food tips.

What is the Nutritional Advisor?

The OASIS project has developed a Nutritional Advisor Service that aims at monitoring your nutritional habits and helping you in performing everyday tasks, from shopping to cooking. This service keeps an eye on your daily nutritional needs based on your individual profile.
In this application, your "nutritional profile" is the description of your nutritional needs, health status, likes and dislikes, built on the basis of a personal questionnaire you are asked to fill in.
This set of services is monitored by your nutritionist who controls and manages from a distance the nutritional information, assuring these services are always in line with your preferences and needs.

Why is the Nutritional Advisor useful and important?

Paying attention to our nutrition means taking care of our physical and mental health. Moreover, in case of certain pathologies (think for instance about diabetes), nutrition is particularly important and must be constantly monitored to ensure our health.
The Nutritional Advisor will especially consider the variety and nutritive value of food, which is source of energy, vitamins, proteins, fibres and minerals you require in order to be healthy. Given that we are all different and we have different needs, the Nutritional Advisor will provide an individual support and will take into account specific profiles (likes and dislikes, dietary requirements, physical activity, budget).
Thus, the first step is to define your individual nutritional profile which takes into account your health status, your living situation and your meal preferences which are relevant to the task of the Nutritional Advisor.

What does the Nutritional Advisor offer?

Weekly menus based on your individual profile

Nutritional tips depending on your personal situation and needs, such as 'remember to take your pills after lunch' or 'remember to drink enough water'

Shopping lists created on the basis of the suggested weekly menu. The list can be printed or sent to your mobile phone to ensure that you have it with you when you need it

The possibility to share recipes with your friends through the OASIS Social Community Platform

2. Activity Coach

The Activity Coach can recognize and manage older people's physical activity and act as a useful tool to improve their health through personalized support.

What is the Activity Coach?

The Activity Coach is a comprehensive service which can monitor your physical activity through unobtrusive sensors. This system can calculate the level of your activity and make a personal assessment based on your health needs as provided by your doctor. For example, if it estimates that you have not been active during one week, it will provide you with feedback in order to help you adapt your activity habits. The Activity Coach can make physical exercise fun, safe and easy.

Why is the Activity Coach useful and important?

As people grow older, they may face additional challenges to undertaking physical activity. It is not always easy to know what kind of exercise will be beneficial for your health condition. Some of you may doubt whether you work out too much or not enough. What if you get tired easily and you cannot keep up with your doctor's advice? What happens if you fall? Additional support is needed when you are recovering from an accident or a health problem or even when you are trying to lose weight. The Activity Coach can help you gain confidence in your exercise routine as you know that you are doing it right and that you are constantly monitored and supported by your personal "trainer".

What can the Activity Coach do for you?

The Activity Coach can :

Monitor your physical movements and inform you whether you need to do more or less exercise

Keep a record of your physical activity that will be useful for your doctor and your nutritionist in order to assess you health and nutrition needs

Keep an eye on you while you are working out or performing a daily activity and provide you with personalised advice

Detect falls and alert your family or your doctor

Support you after an accident and facilitate the healing process

Work together with other OASIS services such as the Nutritional Advisor, the Health Monitoring and the Environmental control in order to better reply to your individual needs and preferences

3. Brain Trainer

The Brain Trainer is a memory training application which stimulate older people's mind in a fun and relaxing way.

What is the Brain Trainer?

The Brain Trainer is a set of games which help you enhance your memory and other cognitive abilities. After an initial assessment of your capacity level, you will be guided through a set of memory games that you can play as often as you want to improve your skills and scores! These games are practical, easy to use and linked with your everyday life.

Why is the Brain Trainer useful and important?

Getting older, some mental capacities (such as memory or reaction time) decline, which may affect our daily lives. Think how important it is to retain some information you hear or read during the day (e.g. remembering a phone number before storing it into your agenda or phone). Fortunately, mental stimulation can help you maintain your brain functions and improve your quality of life. This can be done through engaging in everyday tasks like cooking or being involved in leisure activities such as crossword puzzles.
Likewise, using the entertaining exercises of the Brain Trainer, you can have fun and improve your cognitive capabilities at the same time.

How does the Brain Trainer work?

The Brain Trainer is based on realistic challenges of everyday life. To start you are allocated to a training level (beginner, intermediate, advanced). You can choose and change games whenever you want. For instance, a card sorting game provides scores according to your reaction time and mistake rates. Playing only for a few minutes per day will tackle your memory skills!

4. Health Monitoring

The Health Monitoring manages older people's health remotely and assures their wellbeing.

What is the Health Monitoring?

The Health Monitoring is a medical support service which allows you to monitor your health while accomplishing the rest of your daily life activities. Thanks to this application, you will be able to measure your health status and to be in remote contact with your medical doctor. Thus, your doctor can take care of you not only when you are in a medical center or at the hospital, but also at home.
Through this application, you will also be able to access useful and personalized information and health recommendations.

Why is the Health Monitoring useful and important?

The Health Monitoring helps you monitor your health and take care of it. The application includes automatic alerts and recommandations to keep up with your daily routine. For instance, it will remind you when to take your medication. The Health Remote Monitoring is a great support for your autonomy!
In addition, this system facilitates your doctor's work who can keep an eye on your health from a distance. In this way, you can receive recommendations from your doctor while staying at home and have medical visits only when appropriate.
Be aware that the Health Remote monitoring does not replace your doctor. However, it allows you to be in contact with him/her and with an emergency center without leaving your own house. Furthermore, you can use the system to receive personalized health coaching services (health information, useful addresses).
Overall, this technology improves health care provision and allows you to feel safe at home.

What can the Health Remote Monitoring do for you?

Based on your medical profile, the Health Remote Monitoring device will allow you:

To measure regularly your health condition at home and to assess your medical needs;

To get in contact with your doctor and exchange information on your health status;

To receive special coaching services to maintain your physical and mental condition;

To keep you informed about health news and recommendations (healthcare information, links and forum);

To launch an alert in case of medical emergency.

5. Environmental Control

The Environmental Control system of OASIS can improve the quality of life and autonomy of older people at home.

What is the Environmental Control?

The Environmental control can increase your comfort, safety and security in your home environment. It is a comprehensive automatic system which can transform your house into a "smart home". In your smart home, blinds close automatically when there is a lot of sun entering, heating is adjusted to your personal preferences, doors are locked on their own when you forget them open and humidity is monitored from a distance.

Why is the Environmental Control useful and important?

This service can facilitate everyone's life at home! You no longer have to worry about leaving the stove on; you don't have to care about temperature adjustments; you don't have to leave your desk to close the curtains. However the environmental Control can be particularly useful for older people with support needs as it allows them to live independently at home for longer.

What does the Environmental Control offer?

The OASIS technology for the home features:

Comfort: Automatic and remote control of domestic goods like lamps, doors or windows

Safety: Monitoring of environmental parameters, like humidity or temperature and supervision of safety-critical items like stoves or windows

Security: Monitoring the environment and providing reminders to close a window or lock a door; simulating actions to make intruders think that someone is actually present during a potential break-in

Energy-saving: Automatic energy-efficient control of lights, heating or ventilation

Localisation: in case of emergency conditions

6. Social Community Platform

The Social Community Platform uses internet and mobile technologies to create new social networks and alternative leisure activities for older people.

What is the Social Community Platform?

In the OASIS project, the Social Community Platform provides applications that can help you stay active, keep contact and collaborate remotely with other people, including sharing or discussing with other users of the OASIS services.
This platform uses modern forms of communication that allow you to learn, participate in virtual communities by exchanging instant messages, photos and videos with your friends and family members who also belong to the online community.

Why is the Social Community Platform useful and important?

Have you ever wished an easy and cheap way to keep in touch with your grandchildren that live abroad? Would you like to instantly share photos with your friends and relatives? How about sharing your favourite recipe with other OASIS users? Would you like to attend a discussion on an interesting subject theme without leaving your house? OASIS can help you make all of this possible! Perhaps some of you have already experienced that using the Internet is a good and convenient way to contact the outside world. You can walk out of loneliness, through sending e-mails to family members and friends all over the world, chatting in forums to exchange feelings and ideas, etc.
From a scientific point of view, it has been demonstrated that communicating and undertaking social activities can strengthen your psychological state, limit the risks of depression or isolation and prevent mental degradations. Online social networks can enhance your motivation and self-esteem! However, even if you have no clue what the Internet is and how social networks work, you can still take advantage of the numerous possibilities the OASIS platform has to offer. The Social Community Platform is user-friendly and does not require any particular knowledge.

What does the Social Community Platform offer?

Collaborative spaces and discussion forums which provide a framework to develop new activities and share knowledge and experience

Easier communication with family and friends, including group interaction

Support when travelling, which identifies the new environment, suggests nearby events and provides information in line with your interests and preferences

Information on leisure and social activities, events and networks

7. Transport Information Services

The Transport Information Services provide tools that can help older people in planning their trips.

Which are the Transport Information Services?

Two tools are included in this service. One of them can help you plan your trip by public transport and another includes other modes of mobility, such as walking or driving. These two tools can help you have all the information you need before you even leave your house! For instance you can find out what time the bus arrives so that you are not stressed or obliged to wait for a long time. You can now in advance how long you have to walk to change the train in the station. You may also find a place to park your car when you reach your destination!

Why are the Transport Information Services useful and important?

These services are especially designed for older people in order to help you overcome the barriers you face in mobility and plan your journeys stress-free! For example OASIS can indicate a route in which all buses or trains have easy access (low-step entry); it can guide you as a pedestrian through nice and accessible walking areas; it can transfer the map in your phone so that you have it with you when you need it, etc. This assistance is particularly important as many older people due to the lack of information mobility options are discouraged from moving for their everyday activities, travelling and taking part in social and leisure events. Such services can improve your independent living and avoid isolation.

8. Transport Route Guidance

The Transport Route Guidance allows older people to walk and drive easily and safely.

What is the Transport Route Guidance?

This is a routing and guidance application for pedestrians and drivers which specifically tackles the challenges older people face in traffic. It allows you to avoid frustration and be easily navigated to your desired destination. You can have access to this service through your mobile devices.

Why is the Transport Route Guidance useful and important?

Restricting factors for older people's mobility include access to information, declining vision and hearing, declining motor skills and cognitive abilities. To enable older people to safely walk and drive this application suggests suitable routes, uses highly accurate maps and offers an easy interface.

What does the Transport Route Guidance offer?

This system allows you to:

View maps: displaying your current location and including information about points of interest

Access the planned route: information at all stages of the planned route by car, pedestrian and public transport routes

Plan new pedestrian routes: you are able to plan and recalculate routes in order to increase safety or the ease of a walk

Receive navigation advice for pedestrians' routes: directions are given referring to your exact current location

9. Car applications for personal mobility

The Personal Mobility Applications can extend the functionalities of cars and improve the driving experience of older people

How does OASIS enhance personal mobility?

OASIS has developed in-vehicle support for older drivers and passengers which use sensors, navigation systems, visual and vocal feedback that facilitate driving and makes you feel safer.

Which are the OASIS solutions for personal mobility?

A medical assistance and emergency call service allows remote assistance based on your individual needs and through health sensors that you wear and are connected with the car

A special navigation service which can indicate safe or calm routes that can guide you to your destination in the most suitable way

Visual interaction on a smart phone combined with vocal commands which ensure that you keep your hands on the steering wheel and drive safely along the route

10. Smart Workplaces

The Smart Workplaces service allow older people to be efficient working from anywhere at any time.

What is the OASIS Smart Workplace?

The Smart Workplace applications allow you to complete your work properly and efficiently, whether you are at home or on the move with fewer resources. They help you to organize your work and ensure that all data as well as email are available with limited effort and easy to access systems.

Why is the Smart Workplace useful and important?

Many older people want to stay professionally active while being flexible to work from home or to reduce their working hours but continue to be efficient in their tasks. Some may continue to support with their experience and expertise their younger colleagues even after retirement. With population ageing and discussions around extending working lives, tools that can support flexible working and encourage older people to stay professionally active for longer are essential. The OASIS Smart Workplace Services can help you be professionally engaged providing you with reliable collaborative solutions.

What is the added value of the Smart Workplaces?

These applications help you work:

Securely: ensuring safe access to business portals and information

Comfortably: with easy interfaces and useful functionalities

Safely: avoiding excessive stress or fatigue

Seamlessly: allowing you to use different devices and change location

How are older people supported in using the OASIS services?

Taking into account the the learning needs of seniors while using new technologies, OASIS has carefully developed a supporting tool that responds to older people's specific needs, namely the OASIS online training platform. Through the OASIS trainings, older people will be equipped to use the OASIS services so that they can take advantage of the numerous possibilities they can offer. However, the trainings are also designed to promote learning experiences for older people. Thus, the developed courses serve multiple purposes: improving the levels of digital literacy among older people; proposing leisure activities; widening their knowledge on nutrition, health, independent living and social networks. At the bottom line, the trainings not only can improve access, motivation, and competence in using the OASIS services but also fight against the digital divide.

The methodology of the OASIS trainings

The teaching method for the trainings has been carefully considered: the developed material is simple and user-friendly; it includes step-by-step instructions; it avoids technical jargon; it simplifies as far as possible the navigation among the different modules; it provides support through a dedicated help section. In addition, the single courses were designed with common structure, not only to achieve consistency but also to facilitate the learning process. Tips and practical explanations are given in boxes to attract attention and underline their content.
The courses are meant to be at the disposal of the user as a means to improve their capacities to use the system and to develop their skills and knowledge. In this sense, the trainings can be accessed many times and users are invited to come back to it for assistance and information.

Access to the training platform

The OASIS online training platform can be accessed at the following link: http://oasis.bluepoint-it.ro/
Users must be provided with a log-in user name and password: a self-registration is enabled, allowing the user to get the password in his/her e-mail account. Alternatively the Register link in the main navigation page provides access the registration form. If email-confirmation has been enabled by the system administrator, a message will be sent to the email address entered, containing a link that must be followed to confirm the new account. Once this has been done, the login name or email address, and the password entered during registration can now be used on the Login screen.
The users may log in simply by typing the provided login name or e-mail address and password entered during the registration and enter the training platform using the address: oasis.bluepoint-it.ro. Logging in gives users access to protected courses, lets them enrol, and lets them participate in courses.
Using the browse courses tab, the user can browse the courses available.
In case of forgotten password, the Forgot your password? Link on the Login screen can help. The form will e-mail the login name to the user, along with a link you must follow to change your password.

How are older people involved in OASIS?

Having older people involved throughout the development of its servicse is one of the central concerns of OASIS. For this purpose two organisations representing older people are involved in the project.
AGE Platform Europe (AGE) is a European network of organisations of people aged 50+ and represents over 28 million older people in Europe. AGE aims to voice and promote the interests of the 150 million inhabitants aged 50+ in the European Union and to raise awareness of the issues that concern them most. For more information: www.age-platform.eu.
Marie Curie Association (MCA) is a NGO established in 1997 and has as mission the (re)integration, employability and independent life of elderly and people with disabilities. For more information: http://www.marie-curie-bg.org/
In OASIS the two organisations bring the point of view of older people through the participation of their experts in all the critical development phases. The two organisations who represent older people consult and share the OASIS outcomes with their members in the view of ensuring that the services developed respond to real needs and preferences.
In addition, OASIS holds annual User Fora, where representatives of AGE and MCA but also lay older people coming from the local communities where these meetings take place are invited to test the OASIS applications and bring their point of view to the project. In this way, a large number of older people coming from different geographical backgrounds are involved in OASIS.
Last, testing of the OASIS services takes place in some of the participating countries in the project. These testings take place in dedicated pilot sites, where sheltered homes, hospitals and elderly associations are involved. For more information on the pilot sites see the following question.

How and where is OASIS testing the developed services?

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Bulgaria

The Bulgarian pilot will take place in a specially designed village for the elderly (synonymous with the sheltered testing environment). The following applications will be tested: nutritional advisor, activity coach, brain trainer and stress management, social relationships, and health monitoring. The testing in the sheltered home will be carried out in co-operation with local authorities that manage the elderly village. Activities will also take place in Independent Living houses. The following applications will be tested: nutritional advisor, activity coach, brain trainer and stress management, social relationships, health monitoring, and environmental control.

Germany

The German pilot site planned is located in Kaiserslautern and consists of a living lab located in the buildings of the Fraunhofer Institute IESE and a sheltered home located in the WestPfalz Klinikum (WKK), also in Kaiserslautern. Independent living homes are also planned in the Kaiserslautern area.
The prime objective is to test independent living applications of OASIS (SP2). More specifically, the activity coach application, fall prevention and detection, health monitoring, and the environment control application will be evaluated in the lab environment as well as in the sheltered home and independent living environment. The health profile definition and personalisation, the health coach, and the alerting and assisting application will be tested in the sheltered home environment.

Greece

Thessaloniki is part of the combined eastern pilot site of OASIS, together with Athens and Plovdiv, Bulgaria. The Thessaloniki site is composed of a living lab for the elderly and disabled, consisting of a controlled domotic environment, usability equipment and an equipped research car. It is envisaged that the following applications will be tested: brain and skills trainer, environmental control, transport information services (pre-trip and short-range trip info), pedestrian route guidance, on-demand services, driver comfort support, tourism and leisure, and smart workplaces. Among the main sources for subject recruitment, key organizations have been contacted, i.e. the Elderly Recreational Centre (Municipality of Thessaloniki), an Outpatient Memory and Dementia Clinic, and an elderly house.

Italy - Florence

The objective of the Florence pilot site is to test some of the identified SP3 use cases related to public transport services in Florence city centre and suburban areas. The Public Transport Company of Florence, ATAF, which is a partner of the OASIS project, is the manager of local public transport services and produces information that will be made available for the SP3 applications defined in collaboration with another Italian partner, MIZAR. ATAF has been working with the local Elderly Association (AUSER) from the start of the project. An Elderly Friendly Travel Planner is currently at the planning stage; the feasibility of enriching the travel planner with the OASIS route guidance is under evaluation.

Italy - Milan

The pilot site planned in Milan will be executed in nine villages located in the northern part of Milano (Castanese area) with one of them (Buscate) acting as a leading site. The objective is to test (with a few exceptions) all the OASIS applications; specifically, the six applications for Independent Living (SP2: Nutritional Advisor, Activity Coach, Brain and skill trainer, Social communities platform, Health Monitoring, Environmental Control) and the applications for Autonomous Mobility (SP3) with the exclusion of those related to public transport (which will be tested in Florence by ATAF) and the Smart Workplace applications. Indoor scenarios and nomadic environments will be part of the trial programme, with tablet PCs and smart phones employed as personal devices. The experimentation will be done in close co-operation with the Elderly Centers associated with ANCESCAO (an Italian Association fostering the independence and wellbeing of the older population) and with the support of the local authorities.

United Kingdom

The Newcastle pilot site will focus primarily on the transport use cases of SP3, notably the transport information services, route guidance system and in-car telematic support. The UK site will also test some of the health use cases of SP2, specifically the brain trainer. Innovative testing methodologies are being developed including the use of an immersive video facility, allowing users to interact virtually with the built and transport environment whilst remaining within the facility.
The end users for the Newcastle pilot site are recruited from a large pool of recruits in co-operation with Newcastle University's Institute for Ageing and Health (IAH), University of the Third Age (U3A) and specific local recruiting. The Newcastle pilot site aims to use a minimum of 30 users, with an even gender distribution representing a range of ages from 55 years upwards.

How can I learn more about OASIS and have access to its outcomes?

The latest news about OASIS can be found on its webpage: http://www.oasis-project.eu/

How can I contact OASIS?

If you would like to learn more about OASIS and its services
Silvio Bonfiglio - Project Coordinator - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Bulgary - Andrean Lazarov - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Germany - Wolfgang Putz - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Greece - Mary Panou - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Italy - Milan - Silvio Bonfiglio - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Italy - Florence - Giorgio Ambrosino - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
United Kingdom - Yvonne Huebner - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it