A PAN-EUROPEAN SOCIAL ALARM SYSTEM

SAFE 21 is a pan-European research and development project which will take social alarms into the twenty-first century. It is run by a conso rtium of eight organizations, with financial support from the European Commission. SAFE 21 will use existing infrastructure to deliver a muc h broader range of services and extend availability to users who are c urrently excluded. The project aims: to develop a social alarm that wi ll work from anywhere inside the home, using a neck-worn speech-pendan t and outside the home making use of radio cellphone and global positi oning technology; to demonstrate how telemedicine can be incorporated at marginal costs, by exploiting the existing social alarm infrastruct ure; to demonstrate a shared control centre that facilitates emergency services, medical, welfare and social professionals working together to support a broad-based social alarm system; to provide access to soc ial alarms for deaf users, who are currently excluded.