"SocialTV for 3G" has been awarded as the Best Project for Digital Inclusion at FICOD 2010.
SocialTV for 3G is a project coordinated by the Vodafone Spain Foundation and in which the TECSOS Foundation and the Spanish Red Cross participate. It is part of the Aid line for the inclusion of People with Disabilities and the Elderly of the Plan Avanza 2 (TSI 040200-2009-59) financed by the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Commerce.
The project includes the definition, development and piloting of a Meeting Point for the elderly, which they can access through their television to communicate, find out, be entertained and share experiences with other users. The system that will cover the objective of SocialTV will be a service supervised and energized by qualified personnel and volunteers from the Spanish Red Cross network.
The main objective of the project is to promote active aging and independent living of the elderly by promoting social relationships and reducing boredom and isolation, demonstrating the usefulness of technology for this purpose.
In Spain, 28% of the elderly feel lonely frequently, increasing this percentage to 38% if they also live alone, a condition that occurs in almost 20% of them. The feeling of loneliness can lead to a self-perception of maladjustment, which is usually associated with loss of activity and social isolation, aspects that can lead to a series of affective disorders such as anxiety or depression. An older person who has lost their activity and is socially isolated, will end up presenting in some cases a functional and physical deterioration, which will ultimately manifest itself in cognitive deterioration and general health.
On the other hand, new technologies stand as the perfect tools for the maintenance and reinforcement of the social environment. The Internet and telephone networks, among others, are technologies that have evolved enormously in recent decades, increasingly reducing the barriers of space and time. In this way, new technologies will be used in this project to reduce barriers in the communication of the elderly with their environment, providing them with a meeting point through which they can see and talk with different people with whom they have something in common. Thus, the elderly will be able, through television and with a broadband Internet connection, to connect to the meeting point where they will meet and communicate with other people with the same habits or interests, thus contributing to reducing their isolation and loneliness.
The consortium participating in this project, made up of the Vodafone Spain Foundation (FVE), the Spanish Red Cross (CRE) and the Social Technologies Foundation (TECSOS Foundation), is the ideal one to achieve the objective pursued, as well as to maintain it. and sustainability over time. It includes the technological excellence of the first and the social excellence of the second to obtain a system with the highest technological quality and the greatest social utility for the elderly. In addition, Fundación TECSOS' experience in development and validation of social technologies will ensure that the methodology is the most appropriate, focusing the design of the solution on the user.
SocialTV links:
Red Cross
CSA
Vodafone Spain Foundation
Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade
Qualcomm
Techs
