At the Silvered International Festival 2025, a standing-room audience gathered for “Telecare without borders: AI, sensors & human-centered innovation for ageing at home,” a discussion that explored how connected technologies are reshaping support for older adults. Moderated by Jessilyn Forigo, Managing Director of Global Partnerships at the International Federation on Ageing (IFA), the panel brought together three leaders in European telecare innovation: Jill Mulder, CEO of Genus Care (Netherlands); Iñaki Bartolomé, CEO of Kwido (Spain); and Aurélien Poisson, Director France of Legrand Care.
Across 40 minutes, the group painted a picture of a care ecosystem under pressure—aging populations, workforce shortages, evolving family structures—and the role that technology, thoughtfully deployed, might play in reshaping what “care at home” means in the coming decade.
Telecare : A Sector Under Strain—and in Transition
Jessilyn Forigo opened with a reminder that societies are rethinking care itself. People want to age at home with independence and dignity, while the workforce needed to support them is shrinking. Technology, she said, “does not replace human care but extends and enhances it.”
Each panelist echoed that sentiment. Jill Mulder highlighted the “double aging effect”—more older adults, fewer caregivers—and argued that solving it requires three pillars: technology to bridge distance, involvement of families and friends, and predictive tools that can reduce unplanned interventions.
Aurélien Poisson pointed to safety as the leading driver behind connected care adoption. For Legrand Care, with more than three million users in Europe, ensuring reliable links between older adults and caregivers is paramount. But the shift from social care toward more clinically oriented support at home is accelerating quickly, he said, transforming how industrial players must innovate.
Iñaki Bartolomé, meanwhile, offered a more sober note: “We are not attracting talent… to this sector or any sector,” he said. Changing family structures and increasing social isolation compound the challenge. Technology, he argued, is quickly becoming the “only ally” capable of helping systems keep pace with demographic realities.
[Replay] Telecare without borders: AI, sensors & human-centered innovation for ageing at home
The Technology Landscape: Telecare Beyond Fall Alerts
While public perception of telecare often centers on fall-detection and emergency alarms, all three panelists described a broader technological horizon—one driven increasingly by data.
Jill Mulder insisted that artificial intelligence cannot function meaningfully without reliable, continuous data. Her team at Genus Care deploys devices that integrate sensors, communication tools, and peripherals into a unified platform connecting family members, alarm centers, and professional caregivers. The aim is to create a consistent “data pool” that allows predictive modelling around risks such as dehydration, falls, or behavioral changes.
Iñaki Bartolomé described Kwido as an ecosystem delivering geriatric expertise into the home. Kwido’s virtual center combines daily activity plans, cognitive stimulation tools, communication channels for families and professionals, and sensor-based monitoring enhanced by AI. In some regions, the model has already shown its capacity to scale; in Spain’s Basque region, a day-center budget originally intended for 50 people now supports 400 families remotely.
AI’s potential, the panelists agreed, lies not in automation but in identifying patterns humans cannot easily see—early cognitive decline, subtle changes in routine, reduced fluid intake, or isolation. “AI shouldn’t make the choice,” Jill Mulder said. “It should make the options.”
Ethics, Responsibility, and Resistance
With innovation comes responsibility. Aurélien Poisson emphasized the need for a strong ethical framework before integrating AI more deeply into care. Even inside his own organization, he said, the first step was encouraging employees to use AI as a daily tool in their work, understanding its impact before embedding it into consumer-facing products.
The social-care sector’s cultural resistance to technology also surfaced repeatedly. Iñaki Bartolomé noted that healthcare already uses AI extensively, yet social care hesitates. “Maybe we don’t want to change the way we do things,” he said. Fear, he argued, remains a significant blocker.
Jill Mulder added that embracing technology also requires acceptance of a more honest societal conversation: families will need to play a larger role in care, supported—but not replaced—by digital tools.
Telecare Interoperability and the Need for Partnerships
A recurring theme was the need for cooperation among providers. Jill Mulder stressed that no single company can “do everything.” Interoperability—systems exchanging data seamlessly—is essential to accelerate adoption, reduce duplication, and build scalable solutions.
Iñaki Bartolomé warned that genuine digital transformation is not achieved by “buying technology like groceries.” Organizations must redesign processes, not just layer devices on top of existing workflows. Success, he said, depends on co-creation between providers, institutions, and end-users.
Aurélien Poisson framed the present moment as one of “porosity” between social care and medical care, with industry partnerships becoming indispensable.
Imagining the Future of Care Teams
Looking ahead five to ten years, all three leaders predicted a mix of continuity and transformation. Basic hands-on care will remain, but unplanned interventions should decline as predictive systems mature. Remote work will expand—enabling caregivers with limited mobility, for example, to maintain their roles through video-based services.
Iñaki Bartolomé raised the example of Japan, where severe workforce shortages have already led to the introduction of robots for certain tasks. Europe may follow, he suggested, whether it feels ready or not.
Aurélien Poisson argued that technology will not diminish human connection but shift how it manifests: “It will make the links different, and we have to think differently.”
Financing the Shift
When asked how governments might be convinced to invest more aggressively in connected care, Jill Mulder advocated for large-scale deployments that allow systems to “leap of faith” and learn from real-world data rather than small pilots. Iñaki Bartolomé framed the moment as an inflection point—one in which inaction risks systemic failure. Demonstrating success stories and tangible savings, he said, is essential.
A Call to Co-Create the Future of Telecare
In closing, the panelists returned to the need for openness and collaboration.
Aurélien Poisson described the French market as entering a uniquely dynamic phase, with experimentation across new use cases. Iñaki Bartolomé urged attendees to embrace “co-creation” rather than simply buying prebuilt solutions. Jill Mulder pointed to the surprising willingness among international peers to connect, share, and build “best-of-breed” solutions together.
Jessilyn Forigo ended by thanking the panelists and audience, inviting delegates to consider how connected care—and the human relationships around it—will continue to evolve.
Published by the Editorial Staff on