Digital solutions supporting continuum of care for frailty prevention in old adults
Longevity is one of the biggest achievements of modern societies. By 2020, a quarter of Europeans will be over 60 years of age. Combined with low birth rates, this will bring about significant changes to the structure of European society, which will impact on our economy, social security and health care systems.

The most problematic expression of population ageing is the clinical condition of frailty. Frailty develops because of age-related decline in multiple physiological systems. It is estimated that a quarter to a half of people over 85 years are frail , and this is set to reach epidemic proportions over the next few decades. While frailty increases, the average amount of health spending increases as well with the frailty level  in a range from 1,500 to 5,000 €/person year, depending upon the frailty status and the setting of care. Frailty usually comes along associated with another risk facto; loneliness. 

Then, ageing, frailty and loneliness constitute overlapping conditions submitted to multiple health and care interventions. 

eCARE project aims to deliver disruptive digital solutions for the prevention and comprehensive management of frailty to encourage independent living, wellbeing and to relieve health and care services budget pressure, throughout the implementation of a Pre-Commercial Procurement scheme. 

Solutions should improve outcomes for frailty in old adults entailing the physical and the psychosocial factors. The target group are the pre-frail/frail old adults with emphasis on those that feel lonely and/or isolated.

The project will procure the development, testing and implementation of digital tools/services and communication concepts to facilitate the transition to integrated care models across health and social services and country-specific cross-institutional set-ups, including decentralised procurement environments and collaboration across institutions.