Future Position X

The demographic ageing of western societies represents a major challenge for health and social care in the 21st century. Birth rates are decreasing and older people are living longer and being healthier in old age. This changing demography will have major implications for the way we work, for family and intergenerational relationships, social networks and political, economic and consumer behaviour. It will also have an affect on the delivery of medical, health and social services and welfare support. Deploying geographical information systems (GIS) within administrative healthcare systems creates a new opportunity to see the whole picture and to better manage available resources. In Gävle, Sweden, several projects are focusing on these issues with the common goal to prolong the time that older people are able to live at home instead of moving into nursing homes. These projects are gathered under the name Open eHome Care.