‘Develop a strategy that will enable Limerick to predict and respond to the needs of older people through the better management of shared information’.
Introduction
In 2015 Limerick was one of 17 cities selected worldwide to participate in IBM's Smarter Cities Challenge programme taking place in May 2016. Since 2010, IBM has deployed 800 top experts to help more than 130 cities around the world.
The Smarter Cities Challenge is a philanthropic initiative which contributes the skills and expertise of IBM's top-talent to address critical challenges facing cities around the world. For 3 weeks, this team will be on the ground in Limerick working closely with city leaders and conducting research and outreach to analyse the issue identified by Limerick City & County Council. The outcome will be a road map document with short and long term recommendations to make our city and county smarter and more effective.
What is Limerick’s Smarter Cities Challenge?
Limerick currently has the fastest ageing population in Ireland. Limerick City & County Council has asked IBM to assess ways of enhancing the quality of life, health and well-being of all of Limerick's ageing population, through increased connectivity. Our proposal, which leverages initiatives already underway in Limerick, will do this in two ways:
1) Improve the quality of and access to key supports and services; and
2) Enable older citizens to engage meaningfully in contributing to the development of the communities they live in.
Who you will be meeting and why?
On 9 May, a team of 6 IBM experts will arrive in Limerick to review our evidence base and gather diverse views on Limerick’s challenge. We would like to invite you to meet with the IBM Executives during their time in Limerick to contribute your knowledge/insights on Limerick challenge and potential solutions for addressing this challenge. Making Limerick a Smart Ageing City requires collaboration between statutory agencies and services, voluntary organisations, older adults and their representative organisations as well as the private sector. All of these stakeholders have a key role to play in developing innovative solutions to address the challenges involved.
What is the intended outcome of the meeting?
The intention is to ensure the Limerick City develops a data platform and strategy that would enable the city to understand, predict and respond to the real needs of older people, especially those in more isolated and disadvantaged areas. This will enable organisations and key stakeholders to collaborate around older people's needs and as a result provide older people with easier access to improved services and increase health and well-being. At the end of the 3 weeks the IBM team will present their findings to Limerick City & County Council and key stakeholders.