Safe21 - Fact Sheet

Safe 21 is a pan European research and development project which will take social alarms into the 21st century. It is run by a consortium of 8 organisations, with financial support from the European Commission.

The project aims to build on existing social alarms systems which provide an emergency response to a call initiated by a user. Typically, users such as elderly people living alone in their own home, will press a button on their telephone or neck-worn pendant if they need help. This initiates an automatic telephone call to a control centre which provides staff with the caller's details, including relatives or friends to contact. Staff can speak to the caller if he or she is within range of the telephone, to establish the problem, send emergency services if required, or reassure until help arrives.

Safe 21 will use the existing infrastructure to deliver a much broader range of services, and extend availability to users who are currently excluded. The project aims to:

develop a social alarm that will work from anywhere inside the home, using a speech pendant, and outside the home making use or radio cellphone and global positioning technology.
demonstrate a shared control centre that facilitates emergency services, medical, welfare and social professionals working together to support a broad social alarm system.
demonstrate how tele-medicine can be incorporated at marginal cost, by exploiting the existing social alarm infrastructure
develop a social alarm for deaf users, who are currently excluded

The 3 year project will run from December 1996 to November 1999. User trials of the equipment that will be developed in the project will be carried out from late 1998.

Safe 21 has been awarded part-funding from the EC programme of telematics applications for the integration of disabled and elderly. The remainder of the funding of this large project comes from the eight partners. Safe 21 will be working in conjunction with a further project, MORE, to develop the global positioning (GPS) social alarm.

Project Manager

Simon Price, Price Partnership Ltd, Appledore Lodge, Blind Lane,
Tanworth-in-Arden, Warwickshire, B94 5HT, Great Britain.

tel: +44 1564 742681 fax: +44 1564 742887
e-mail: Simon.Price@PricePartnership.com

The Project Partners

Tunstall (UK)
		The Tunstall Group is the European market leader for social alarms, with companies in the UK, the Netherlands and Germany. It carries out research and product development, manufactures and markets the group's products: control centres, alarm telephones and medical paging equipment. Tunstall is the co-ordinating partner, responsible for the overall management of the project. Contact Andrew McIntosh: tel +44 1977 661234, e-mail
Sintel (Spain)
	The former subsidiary of Telefonica de Espana, the state telecommunications organisation, Sintel designs, installs and maintains telecommunications and electronic information systems. Contact Martin Gómez, tel +34 91 337 1441.
RGB Medical Devices (Spain)
	RGB Medical Devices provides consultancy and development of bioengineering, and manufactures patient monitoring equipment such as monitors for ECG, pulse oximetry and non-invasive blood pressure. Contact Ricardo Ruiz, tel +34 91 304 2011, e-mail.
IRV (The Netherlands)
	IRV (the Institute for Rehabilitation Research), promotes the social integration and welfare of persons with an impairment, disability or handicap via research, development and knowledge transfer in the field of rehabilitation and handicap. IRV focuses on care technology and works closely with user groups and care professionals to conduct trials and assessment of equipment, IRV's comprehensive information service is active internationally. Contact Frank Vlaskamp, tel +31 455 237 552, e-mail.
Hulpnet (The Netherlands)
	Hulpnet is a social alarm service provider covering more than 3000 users. Its practical knowledge of running social alarm services will help in establishing user needs and running user trials. Contact Peter Blanckers, tel +31 464 596 285, e-mail.
KITTZ (The Netherlands)
	KITTZ, (the Institute for Quality and Applied Home Care Innovation), works to develop new services for medical home care. Its multi-discipline team of nurses, doctors and engineers encourages nursing and treatment at home and "self-supportiveness", (ensuring people have the opportunity to take care of themselves rather than relying on carers, by considering living, technical provisions, equipment and furniture). Contact Jan Thie, tel +31 503 686 254, e-mail.
Rigel Engineering (Belgium)
	Rigel Engineering develops advanced computer software, carrying out all phases of software development from feasibility studies to final programming, implementation and product maintenance. Contact Livio Stefanelli, tel +32 27 381 040, e-mail.
WS Atkins Consultants Ltd (UK)
	WS Atkins is a large consulting practice used by government, industry and commerce. It undertakes feasibility studies, project planning, engineering design, construction supervision and project management, and is currently leading the IMSAS project which is developing the application of multi-media in providing community information to disabled and elderly people. Contact Bob Allen, tel +44 1642 241871 ,e-mail.