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ITRI, local hospital join hands to offer smarter health care for seniors
2019-02-18

Robotic exoskeleton legs are one of the smart technologies that ITRI is providing to National Taiwan University Hospital Yunlin Branch under an agreement to offer intelligent health care services for seniors. (Courtesy of ITRI)

Robotic exoskeleton legs are one of the smart technologies that ITRI is providing to National Taiwan University Hospital Yunlin Branch under an agreement to offer intelligent health care services for seniors. (Courtesy of ITRI)
 

A memorandum of understanding on providing smart health care services for seniors was concluded Feb. 12 by Industrial Technology Research Institute and National Taiwan University Hospital Yunlin Branch, underscoring the country’s efforts to deal with an aging population.
 
Under the agreement, the government-backed institute headquartered in northern Taiwan’s Hsinchu County will offer rehabilitation devices and locally developed medical technologies to help the hospital establish an effective health care network for seniors in the western county. NTUH Yunlin Branch is working with clinics, nursing homes and social centers to provide services such as doctor’s appointments by video call.
 
ITRI Vice President Lin Chii-wan said official statistics show that Yunlin now has 121,000 seniors over the age of 65, accounting for 17.6 percent of the total population. The government has been promoting its long-term care plan 2.0, which includes the establishment of a community-based service network for seniors as a response to the nation’s aging society, he added.
 
According to Lin, the institute will provide a range of equipment including wearable technology that monitors the user’s cardiac health by measuring data like heart rate and volume of blood pumped in one minute. These kinds of devices assist the work of caregivers and ensure doctors receive timely and accurate health information on their patients, he added.
 
Other equipment to be provided include a diagnostic machine that reads a diabetic patient’s retina and robotic exoskeleton legs that aid mobility.
 
Hospital superintendent Hwang Juey-jen said the collaboration between NTUH Yunlin Branch and the institute is expected to spur progress in developing smart solutions for Taiwan’s long-term health care sector.
 
Established in 1973, ITRI works to enhance the country’s industrial competitiveness through conducting applied research and providing technical services. (CPY-E)