GSPK Design has long been interested in the use of technology to benefit businesses and consumers alike.

‘Beginning with the end in mind’ is a key objective, allowing us to design and manufacture products that have a longer life-time value, based around the objectives and requirements of customers.

Designing products to last longer is quite apt when you consider that more of us are now living longer.

Managing this, and all of its associated issues, is a major challenge for western economies, families and engineers alike.

Aside from contributing to increased well-being through innovative products, care of the elderly is a major growth area.

KT-Equal is a consortium of UK researchers dedicated to extending the quality of life of older people and the disabled.

Throughout 2011, KT-Equal will be delivering a series of workshops and events to raise the awareness of age and disability issues, and pull together industry and research to identify possible ideas and solutions.

If you are involved in this area, then an event on the 27th of January 2011 might well be of interest:

Dementia: innovative approaches towards a better quality of life aims to bring practitioners, researchers and organisations together to highlight how needs might be met through technology and engineering.

The workshop is aimed at a wide range of practitioners and policy makers, health and social care practitioners, employers, charitable and government bodies concerned with the needs of older and disabled people, as well as researchers and academics from engineering, biological, social science, medical and health care disciplines.

GSPK Design is interested in the development of products that will help people stay in their homes, more safely, for longer. This might include monitoring or alarm systems, with products to support activities that we take for granted such as cooking, bathing and watching television.