Within Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT), two research centres have been established to address particular research themes around population ageing, they seek to address some of the global challenges and opportunities brought about by the world's changing demographic. These centres, namely; the Netwell Centre (Netwell) and the Centre for Affective Solutions for Ambient Living Awareness (CASALA), operate with a combined goal of helping to achieve solutions that provide Smarter Living for an Ageing Population.

Netwell was founded in 2006 following the successful establishment of the Nestling Technology Initiative Project, made possible by a wider ranging collaboration and significant funding from the Atlantic Philanthropies. The collaborators include; the project sponsors the Dundalk Institute of Technology, the Dundalk Town Council and the Health Services Executive (north east area). The sponsors are joined by the University of Ulster, and the National Centre for Sensor Research at Dublin City University.

Netwell's mission is to promote Social Networks, Environments and Technologies for wellness and ageing-in-place. It aims to provide a Centre of Excellence for the applied research, development and application of innovative service models and technologies to support older-people to age-in-place (the ability to live in one's own home - wherever that might be - for as long as confidently and comfortably possible). The main areas of Netwell's research are:

• social gerontology to provide information on the social, economic, psychological and healthcare aspects of ageing to promote models of best practice;
• environmental gerontology to improve the quality of the built environment through process and capability development;
• geron-technology to develop and support a range technologies that fulfills the needs of an ageing society;
• sectoral responses and social innovation to facilitate a new governance mode working across traditional fields of responsibilities with an active involvement of citizens and which is effective in addressing the challenges of ageing populations, fostering the culture of trust and risk-taking which is needed to promote social innovations. 

For further information or to discuss a collaboration or research project contact:

Andrew Macfarlane • Commercialisation & Centre Manager, CASALA
 

Keywords:

Population Ageing; Social Networks; Innovative Service Models; Social Gentrology; Environmental Gentrology; Geron-Technology; Sectoral Responses; Social Innovation