The project REEAL – initiated by BEKO Engineering & Informatik AG and supported by the city of Linz and the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) - focuses on an integrated AAL-Solution and its effects in terms of social inclusion, activities within and outside of the own residential environment, as well as security and comfort.

The project was to develop the technological basics for a standardized integration of ambient assisted devices and services and to subject a real AAL total solution to a field study. The scientific secondary research explored the social and marketing-political effects on the residents, family members, social and health service providers, municipalities or states, and commercial partners. Target group for the scientific study were elderly people moving into sheltered housing, where all 25 apartments in this specific housing with care project were equipped with the BEKO AAL Solution (HOMEBUTLER). The latter combined the worlds of home and security technology with that of ICT and used an open web platform to offer all system partners a "docking station" for their integration. To collect data we conducted personal face-to-face interviews with future residents and their relatives prior and post to the move-in. This allowed us to compare pre- and post knowledge, experiences, expectations and attitudes towards the offered social services and AAL technologies. Data collection for phase 1 was completed in June 2010. In phase 2 of the project (starting in October 2010) the actual usage (based on usage data stored on the technical devices) of the AAL technology was also analyzed. Potential results from the project included insights concerning - the decision-making processes related to the moving into sheltered housing and using the integrated AAL technologies as well as involved influencers (especially the influence of relatives) - Pre-move-in motives for and barriers to usage of AAL-solutions - Role of AAL-solutions among other drivers to moving into a sheltered housing environment - the potential role of a sheltered housing environment in catalyzing the use of AAL technologies - expectations towards AAL and their consequences on the perceived quality of life of the users

Project duration: January 2010 until June 2011

Financed by: FFG

Contact person: Univ.Prof. Dr.ⁱⁿ Ulrike Schneider