The Centre for Complex Diseases and Ageing (CC.Age) aims to make the lives of the elderly better

We live much longer than before, and we will therefore get several different chronic diseases at the same time. Therefore, we also need more medicines and more health care. At the same time, there will be fewer employees in care for the elderly, we will have fewer children and the health sector will have to make financial cuts. It is estimated that we will lack over 20 million health workers in elderly care in Europe in 20 years.

– In our research, we see that the elderly are most comfortable living at home for as long as possible, and we want to support this with our research. We know that there are many opportunities to support the elderly and their relatives to lead a good and safe life at home, says centre leader Bettina Husebø about the vision for the centre.

– Both in Norway and elsewhere in Europe, we see that there is a large growth in what we call the assistance technology market for the elderly, Husebø elaborates.- There are aids such as sensors that can be worn on the body, in bed or on the wall, and the Internet of Things also offers opportunities for elderly care. The challenge is that these things often do not talk to each other, and in addition, it can be difficult for older people to use them. The CC.Age centre will therefore develop and test a new digital platform (ALIVE) in collaboration with the elderly and nurses from Bergen municipality’s home-care service.

The ALIVE mobile platform brings together different technologies and makes it possible to test the effect of digital assistance in a clinical study.The researchers in the centre will also look at nutrition as a factor for a good life and contribute to the design of a new social living environment in central Bergen.

Husebø has built up the research group for elderly care at UiB since 2012 and the new centre will consist of over 20 people. Husebø has also managed to assemble a scientific advisory committee with professors from Tohoku in Japan, Yale, Harvard, and Leiden. Researchers from the centre will go on regular exchanges to learn the latest methods and the centre will also work closely with various companies from the IT and construction industry.CC.Age is based in the new premises of Alrek health cluster right near both Haukeland University Hospital and Haraldsplass Hospital. Here, the centre’s specialists in global health and community medicine are in contact with partners from Bergen Municipality, the Institute of Public Health, the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL), NORCE Health, Vestland County Council, Helse Bergen and VID scientific college.

Photos on this page and on the frontpage courtesy of CC.Age/UiB