Personal

It is likely that many of you will have relatives who fit into one of the above categories.

Local

Lancaster is on of the partners in DIRC (Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration in Dependability of Computer-Based Systems) a large multi-site project on dependability. DIRC has just started a sub-project looking at dependable computing within the domestic environment, focused especially on the elderly. There is a full time researcher, Guy Dewsbury, working in this area and also Mark Rouncefield has worked in related areas.

The DIRC website has general info, but the domestic project is too new to have been included (at least when I looked).

http://www.dirc.org.uk/

Other sources

The EQUAL Research Network

http://www.equal.ac.uk/

A UK-wide EPSRC funded Network for Extending Quality Life of Older People and Disabled People

 

MHA, UK's largest non-governmental residential agency

http://www.methodisthomes.org.uk/

it has a good 'links' page, but is a framed site, so I can't link to it :-(/dd>

 

Centre for Policy on Ageing

http://www.cpa.org.uk/

another great site for web navigation critique ... partially framed!
see especially the AgeInfo part which has lots of links in the UK and world-wide

 

Help the Aged - aimed at older people in the community

http://www.helptheaged.org.uk/

 

SMART thinking - a Smart Home technology consultancy based an Robert Gordan University

http://www.smartthinking.ukideas.com/
the site includes sections on disability and on Smart Home technology as well as extensive links and material related to various smart home projects.