Abstract
The Nordic Centre for Welfare and Social Issues published a monograph on welfare technology (Ambient Assisted Living Technologies) in November 2010 that recommended that the Nordic countries should put AAL on their agenda. The Centre is convinced that the introduction of welfare technology is a win-win situation for everybody; individual citizens, society and business life. New knowledge and competencies need to be generated, starting with the existing technology and testing it out in pilot studies at local authority level. The focus should be on assisted living in home environments. In Norway, a governmental appointed committee handed over a report on “Innovation and care” in June 2011, presenting a strategy on innovation, development and implementation of welfare technology at national level towards 2020.The potential market is huge. The wealth of Europeans over 65 is estimated to be over €3000 billion, and the market for welfare technologies such as smart homes is expected to triple between 2005 and 2020 . The market is even larger when we take into account the development of AAL in conjunction with other emergent ICT markets, such as energy efficiency and security. A sensor for monitoring a senior citizen’s apartment temperature for her wellbeing and safety can just as easily be used for energy efficiency and security purposes. The purchasing power of the elderly in Norway is more than BNOK 150 a year, and local authorities and the Norwegian labour and welfare administration spend about BNOK 120 a year on health and social services and devices aimed at helping disabled people to cope. Several obstacles will have to be overcome before the potential can be realised. Advanced ICT is integrated in almost all other areas of society, however generally in health care the applications are fragmented and scarce. Technology is in many respects mature in that (standalone) solutions do exist, e.g. biomedical sensors and sensor systems, smart-house technologies and advance