Person-Centric Applications in COMFORTage: Enhancing Decentralized Elderly Care Through Innovation

As the global population ages, the demand for innovative solutions that enhance the quality of life for older adults continues to grow. The COMFORTage project is at the first line of this rapid change, with one of its core elements focusing on various person-centric applications to provide personalized, adaptive, and holistic care for aging individuals at risk or suffering from cognitive decline.

What Are Person-Centric Applications in COMFORTage?

Person-centric applications in COMFORTage are innovative digital tools, mobile applications, and AI-driven systems designed to cater to the specific needs of the beneficiaries. Unlike traditional one-size-fits-all healthcare models, these applications focus on customization, adaptability, and human-centered design to improve overall well-being. Some of the key features of the person-centric applications include:

• Personalized Health Monitoring: AI-driven tools track health metrics in real-time to detect risks and recommend more efficient care plans.
• Cognitive Support & Dementia Care: Applications assisting in memory retention, medication reminders, and mental stimulation.
• Behavioral Change & Lifestyle Management: Solutions encouraging physical activity, dietary adherence, and social engagement.
• Remote Assistance & Caregiver Support: Digital platforms providing real-time communication between caregivers and seniors.
• Data-Driven Decision Making: Smart analytics offering insights into health trends and prediction of potential health deteriorations.

Cognitive Decline and Alzheimer’s-Linked Care Through Digital Applications

Aging is often accompanied by cognitive decline, with conditions such as mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease significantly affecting quality of life. COMFORTage employs cognitive support applications to aid individuals in managing these challenges while also assisting caregivers in delivering personalized, responsive care.

• Memory Support Applications: apps provide reminders for medications, appointments, and daily tasks, helping individuals maintain independence for longer.
• Cognitive Stimulation Programs: Digital brain-training games and activities, tailored to an individual’s cognitive profile, delay the progression of cognitive impairment.
• Emotion and Behavior Monitoring: Self-reporting through questionnaires or other sources, help systems and consequently health care professionals monitor mental based fluctuations and needs of the patients, hinting further implications
• Caregiver Assistance Tools: Real-time monitoring applications help caregivers track mood, confusion episodes, and medication adherence, reducing stress and improving care quality.

In all the above challenges, behavioral change plays a crucial part in securing results. The person-centric applications of COMFORTage incorporate several behavioral change techniques to help seniors adopt healthier habits, with the most important being the AI-Based Coaching, sharing personalized reminders and motivational messages to support daily activities, and gamification, boosting engagement, interaction and adherence.

Addressing Comorbidities in Aging Through Technology

One of the most critical challenges in elderly care is managing comorbidities—the presence of multiple chronic conditions alongside a central condition. COMFORTage integrates monitoring, machine learning and predictive analytics to tailor care strategies to alleviate or stall, if possible, the progress or emerging of:

• Cardiovascular Diseases: Tracking blood pressure and heart rate, sending alerts in case of anomalies
• Diabetes: Monitoring blood glucose levels and meals consumption, while also advising on good nutrition habits and good practices, can be critical for managing pre-diabetic or diabetic conditions
• Frailty: Tracking and enhancing physical activity can seriously lower vulnerability and decline in physiologic reserve
• Dementia: Provide personalized brain exercises to slow down cognitive decline in dementia patients

Healthentia: A Smart Digital Companion in COMFORTage

A central example of a software as a medical device (SaMD) in the COMFORTage ecosystem is Healthentia, an advanced digital health platform of Innovation Sprint, that enhances patient engagement, data-driven care, and personalized health monitoring. Healthentia is a certified medical device and a standalone solution offering:

• Real-Time Health Tracking: Collection and analyses of physiological and behavioral data to tailor interventions from both smart devices and self-monitoring.
• Personalized Virtual Coaching: Providing insights and guidance in the form of chats or articles to the users, aimed to improve adherence to health plans and changes in behavior for adopting and maintaining a healthier lifestyle.
• Clinical Decision Support: Providing healthcare professionals with actionable insights to optimize treatment plans, from alerts to teleconsultation features.

Its integration into COMFORTage strengthens its patient-centric approach, ensuring that older adults receive the right care at the right time, while empowering them to actively participate in their health journey. As the most “active” solution offered, supporting seven of the pilot studies within the project, it is also introducing new features currently being developed, for better supporting the objectives of the initiative.

More applications that support the project include Tap2SOS by NewCo, mHealth by AUTH, GRADIOR DLA PREVENTION by INTRAS and FlexAI developed by ONMI.

The Future of Person-Centric Elderly Care

As we move toward a data-driven, AI-enhanced healthcare future, person-centric applications in COMFORTage will continue to evolve. Personalized AI assistants, real-time biometrics tracking, and Virtual Coaching, will further enhance the independence and quality of life for older adults. By leveraging reactive care through data-based and on-time decision making, while also focusing on proactive care through monitoring and coaching, COMFORTage ensures that aging individuals receive the attention, dignity, and support they deserve. Stay tuned for more updates on how COMFORTage is revolutionizing the future of aging with cutting-edge digital applications!