The ageing of populations across the world poses a crucial challenge for the twenty-first century. Society faces three major changes: firstly, increasing numbers of active older people demanding new social structures and oppor- nities; secondly, increasing numbers of frail or disabled older people requiring new interventions and improved health and social care with resulting economic consequences; and finally complex economic, technological, organisational and social challenges involved in the ageing of society. If society wants to benefit from these changes, innovative social, organisational and technological responses are needed. This book presents the findings of the Care Keys project—“Keys for Quality Performance Management of the Care of Older Persons in Europe”—and is an example of how research can respond to the challenges outlined above. Care Keys was the fruit of European Union research funding, made possible under the Quality of Life and Management of Living Resources specific programme 1 (1998–2002) under the EC’s Fifth Framework Programme for Research, Te- nological Development and Demonstration. The activity promoting such research was Key Action 6 on the “Ageing Population and their Disabilities”.
