TeNDER – affecTive basEd iNtegrateD carE for betteR Quality of Life
In Europe alone, the World Health Organization estimates that more than 10 million people are living with dementia and that by 2030 these numbers will likely double. The prevalence of Parkinson’s Disease is also set to rise, according to the European Brain Council, with more than 1.2 million patients currently living in Europe. In addition, these patients are often simultaneously afflicted with cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and other chronic illnesses.
TeNDER is a multi-sectoral project funded by Horizon 2020, the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation from the end of 2019 until mid-2023. TeNDER has been working to develop an integrated care model to manage multi-morbidity in patients with neurodegenerative diseases, mainly, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, as well as cardiovascular diseases. In 2022, the project was granted a 6-month extension to complete the third wave of pilots. To protect patients, end-user partners interrupted piloting until it was possible to ensure the full implementation of safety protocols. The pandemic may have slowed the project’s piloting down, but it also showed digital assistive technologies’ important role in keeping patients safe.
HOPE coordinates WP8, specifically tasks related to communications and collaboration. Together with end-user partners, including hospitals in Germany and Italy, HOPE has also supported Work Package 7, which centers on assessing Quality of Life improvements and the implementation of the pilots.
How TeNDER works
By combining user-friendly technologies and substantial research experience, our project aims to help improve the quality of life of patients and those who surround them. We have tested ways to ease communication between different health and care providers who treat patients with multi-morbidities.
To this end, TeNDER has performed 5 large-scale pilots in three waves, targeting patients who suffer Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, or cardiovascular diseases with co-morbidities. In each pilot setting (i.e., in-hospital acute care, at home, and in day- and full-time nursing homes), patients have been monitored using sensors, cameras that capture movement, affective recognition technology, and wristbands that record basic vitals, etc. TeNDER’s technical, legal, and ethical experts have worked to ensure that all personal data is protected according to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and that the project’s approach complies with rigorous ethical guidelines.
For more information https://www.tender-health.eu/
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This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 875325.