As the global population ages, the need for senior care and healthy aging solutions continues to grow. The Consortium, composed of experts and organizations from various fields, has embarked on an ambitious mission to optimize healthy aging through the Integrated ecoSystem for Healthy Ageing (ISHA) project. This initiative focuses on early frailty detection and health maintenance, aiming to improve the quality of life for seniors and reduce the burden on healthcare systems.
The Consortium's members recently convened at the WHO Headquarters in Geneva to kick off their new project. Founding members in attendance included Dr. Jothees Amuthavalli Thiyagarajan from WHO, Geneva; Professor Ivan Bautmans, Head of the Frailty in Ageing research group at the Free University Brussels; and Rudi Tielemans, CEO of UniWeb, a company specializing in digital health solutions. The consortium is composed of a diverse array of founding members, each with their own unique expertise and background. Among these are the National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University in Taiwan, where the University Hospital's geriatric clinic unit will be involved, specializing in cutting-edge technology and research. Leiehome, a Belgium-based SME with experience in senior care and health management, is also part of the consortium, as is IRCCS Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri in Italy, a renowned research and clinical institution; Instytut Matki i Dziecka in Poland; and Universitair Ziekenhuis Antwerpen, a hospital in Antwerp associated with Universiteit Antwerpen in Belgium. All of these institutions are leaders in the field of healthcare and medical research. By bringing together this diverse group of experts, the Consortium is well-equipped to address the multifaceted challenges of early frailty detection and health maintenance for seniors, ultimately driving advancements in the field of healthy ageing.
Through a collaborative approach, shared goals, and dedicated funding, the Consortium aims to develop the ISHA digital ecosystem as a comprehensive and feasible tool for assessing and monitoring intrinsic capacity and functional ability in the context of healthy aging.
