king in staff in the district and local health care centres across northwest Russia. Care of the elderly We are ageing. In the developed world, the population of the 60-year and older group has expanded from 99 million in 1950 to 248 million in 2000 and is expected to be 298 million in the year 2050. The 50 and older population from 2000-50 will grow at a rate 68 times faster than the rate of growth for the total population. 88 The US population of 65 and over is projected to rise from 13% of the total population in 2010 to nearly 20% in 2030. 89 By the year 2020, number of Americans 85 and older will more than double to 6.4 million, and the number of people who are 65 to 84 years will almost double to 47.1 million. 90 Many elderly and frail people will demand intensive care, and must be looked after in the appropriate category of care environment. But a major proportion of the frail and elderly could be more cheaply and happily supported in their own homes, if help from three innovative sources were present: The "smart house" concept - doors, alarms, curtains, central heating, lights, etc., all operated by remote control, with alarms for patient health, intrusion and abnormal events and accidents. The concept is not new and has been refined for elderly people. In the telemedicine scenario it would include passive video surveillance 24 hours per day of the elderly person to a remote centre to ensure all is safe, health monitoring of vital signs and normal activity. This would require open video lines to the smart house - probably alternative wireless technologies, such as WiFi or WiMax with full motion or slow scan. INFRASTRUCTURE TO 2030: TELECOM, LAND TRANSPORT, WATER AND ELECTRICITY - ISBN 92-64-02398-4 © OECD 2006 2. TELECOMS INFRASTRUCTURE TO 2030 Take-out restaurant and teleshopping services - local restaurants provide menus via on-line Web access, boosting local employment for restaurants and for private delivery services contracted to deliver to the door. Figure 2.28. Care of frail and elderly at home usi