TOPIC
In TOPIC, we aim at providing a solution by diminishing family carers’ burden, by then decreasing all the related problems, and offer them a better quality of life and independence. It will then reduce all the related costs of these “hidden patients”. The solution we offer to develop, the CarePortfolio, will provide multimodal social support to informal carers by means of a set of accessible online services, which would be available at all times via a portal, available on the Internet, via tablets, smart phones, and/or iTV. This set of services will cover the three dimensions of social support: informational, emotional, and tangible. Informational support means the flow of information, advice, or opinions that allow an individual to assess and understand the problem she/he is facing. Emotional support refers to sympathy, empathy, friendship, or love expressed through the support. This dimension is generally recognised as essential to social support. Tangible support means providing support in terms of goods (e.g., donated clothing or equipment) or services (for example, providing assistance in completing the paperwork). This way, TOPIC contributes to the research and industrial production of systems for elderly population and health care settings in Europe. How these systems will be deployed in the market will be defined via the definition of rental services by the business partners.