ACT® Impact

Older People

Greater independence, improved wellbeing, a better life in old age

Families

Less worry, less negative impact, a better life for families

Payors

Extension of healthy active life, reduced costs of health and care in the short and long-term

Providers

Improved productivity, better matching of resources to needs

Policy Makers

Better outcomes for older people, a sustainable system for an ageing population

A timeline of our history

1964

A problem identified

Populations are ageing in every part of the world; a transition often associated with suffering, loss of independence, and diminished quality of life. Healthcare policies and practices have struggled to keep pace with the ageing demographic. The UK’s healthcare system, for instance, has seen little fundamental evolution in structure since its 1948 inception, primarily focusing on episodic rather than preventive care and on the needs of younger people with single medical conditions.

However, pioneers in healthcare for older people such as Professor James Williamson recognised the challenge and developed specialist models and tools for proactive personalised and holistic care for older people. Furthermore, Williamson identified that most concerns of older people relating to their health, independence and well-being are under-reported.

1989–2018

EASYCare project

Over three decades (1989-2018), Dr Ian Philp led an international effort (EASYCare project) with clinical and academic leaders to address these challenges. There were three distinct stages: conceptual phase (1989 – 1992), proof of concept and evidence generation (1993-2003), and developing an international standard (2004-2018).

1989–1992

Conceptual Phase

A method was developed to help older people report their concerns and connect them to support. The process started in 1989 under the tutelage of Dr Robert Kane to adapt specialist assessment methods for use at scale. The initial design was refined with clinicians and older people in Europe and the US to understand and address their priorities. Scoring systems were developed using Magnitude Estimation techniques, to create a prototype.

1993–2003

Proof of concept and evidence generation

The prototype was developed and validated in European research networks. The European Office of the World Health Organisation and the European Commission provided funding and oversight. Projects were undertaken in 12 European Union countries involved working with clinicians, service providers, public health, and policy leaders at local and national levels. The methods could be implemented by any person with contact with older people (volunteers, vocational workers or professionals).

2004–2018

Developing an international standard

The work was expanded to an international network of research pioneers (the EASYCare International Research Network) in 50 countries across all WHO regions.

  • The network generated more than a hundred publications
  • An independent economic evaluation conducted in 2017 by the International
  • Longevity Centre UK based on a review of publications and case studies, showed clear evidence of economic benefits of the method.

2017–2019

Development of the ICOPE guidelines by the WHO

The project garnered national and global acclaim. The University of Sheffield received the Queen’s Anniversary Prize in 2000 for its international healthcare research improving older people’s lives.

The EASYCare project influenced the development of WHO programme for Integrated Care for Older People (ICOPE) under the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing (2020-2030). 10

Therefore, by 2018, a robust method was available that was known to help older people report concerns and connect them to support with established benefits for older people and healthcare systems globally.

2018

Age Care Technologies®: scaling the EASYCare Project methods

Dr Philp recognised the limitations of a research paradigm for widespread adoption of the methods and that a business-oriented approach would be necessary to translate the innovative methods into scalable solutions with global reach. Dr Philp secured the EASYCare intellectual property and founded a social-purpose business, Age Care Technologies (ACT) in 2018.

ACT fostered global connections through participation in WHO Expert Groups of clinical, policy, and advocacy leaders. ACT further expanded its network by engaging with global business leaders through the Global Coalition of Ageing, a leading organisation representing businesses to address the challenges and opportunities with population ageing.

Through engaging with potential customers, ACT identified there were no globally validated digital tools that provided person-centred assessment and support for older people, nor tools which could generate validated data about the needs of older people to inform policy, research, and practise.

2021

Global recognition:

United Nations WSIS Prize

In 2021, ACT won the United Nations World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) prize for innovation in healthy ageing for its potential to add 100 million quality life years for older people and reduce global costs of long-term care by $45 trillion.

The UK Government recognised ACT as one of the Top 25 Most Promising Start-up Companies embracing digital technologies.

Making aging a community opportunity

“Through being better informed there is an opportunity of rapidly aging population being something that isn’t viewed as a threat to services, but could be seen as a place of the development for community assets.”

Mark Shenton, Suffolk

Meeting global needs

“Age Care Technologies is a wonderful international initiative which has evolved over decades, and have been painstakingly refined and further developed through international collaborations. ACT, therefore, brings together the international community and allows for information sharing and benchmarking of services, which is what is really needed to ensure that the needs of older adults are met globally.”

Tan Maw Pin

Life-changing

“We helped almost 250 people liberate £600,000 of benefits which was life-changing for a lot of older people.”

Lee Hampston, Bridlington

Proactive approach

“As healthcare professionals in Pakistan, using 35+ years of research tools such as ACT to assess hundreds of older adults will enable us to effectively target, personalize, and improve our care strategies towards the elderly. ACT’s proactive, preventative approach and international collaboration help us share our experiences and learn from other countries, keeping us at the forefront of geriatric care despite socio-economic and political challenges.”

Dr. Zafar Hydrie & Dr. Sumaira Nasim

Exactly what's needed

“We have found an autonomous approach and a degree of us being able to guide and flex accordingly what is needed for our local population.”

Sadia Rashid, Kent

Optimistic for our area

“We’re optimistic this will be spread across the whole of Kent and Medway.”

Cathy Bellman, Kent

A great opportunity

“The thing I love about the ACT program is the emphasis on prevention and the opportunity to identify someone’s support needs before they get to the point where they may be in crisis.”

Claire Shelton, Kent