DIET4Elders addresses the problem of older adults malnutrition caused by their unhealthy self-feeding habits. Recent studies have shown that in Europe more than 15% of the older population is affected by poor nutrition and malnutrition caused by the problems of ageing such as decrease in sensitivity, poor dental health, lack of transportation, physical difficulty, forgetfulness and other issues.
The target groups of our proposal are represented by:
(i) Older adults living in care homes for which recent statistics say that are affected by malnutrition in more than 60% of cases.
(ii) Older adults living at home for which statistics says that more that 15% are affected by malnutrition.
More specifically, the DIET4Elders system collects data regarding the older adult’s self-feeding activities and the context in which these activities took place followed by data analysis with the goal of assessing the older adults’ diet and of identifying behavioural patterns that are usually associated with unhealthy eating that may lead to malnutrition. The resulting knowledge, after data analysis, will be made available for end-users by especially developed support services to provide user-custom experience and user-adaptable assisting functionality. This knowledge is also used to select and combine the appropriate food ordering services that will provide the right combination of food that will match both the users’ needs and wishes and their recommended diet. To address the project ambitious goals the consortium brings together partners with specific expertise in the following domains: information and computer technology, telecare, nutrition and clinical informed diet for older adults. The project outcome will improve the older adult’s quality of everyday life and reduce the malnutrition and eventually their negative effects such as: exacerbation of chronic and acute diseases, speeding up the development of degenerative diseases, delaying recovering from illness and so forth. The project success will subsequently help reducing homecare, healthcare, and other associated costs, which in Europe are currently estimated around 170 billion euro per year. To ensure its robustness and usability, the DIET4Elders system will pilot its developed software and hardware infrastructure in end-user environments under strict ethical and confidentiality procedures.