Spring 2003: TAFETA Smart Systems for Health (formerly known as Technology Assisted Friendly Environment for the Third Age) was co-founded by Dr. Frank Knoefel, the former Chief of Staff of the SCO Health Service (now Bruyère Continuing Care) and Ms. Barbara Schulman, former Vice-President, Planning and Partnerships of the SCO Health Service. Leveraging $80,000 in funding granted by The Change Foundation, Dr. Knoefel and Ms. Schulman brought together several public and private partners to conduct the program’s initial research studies.

June 2003: Research into remote monitoring of blood pressure using innovative telehealth technology was completed at Résidence Sacré-Coeur of the Sisters of Charity of Ottawa.

April 2004: The pilot TAFETA Smart Apartment was opened at the Élisabeth Bruyère Hospital. The Smart Apartment was established as the program’s test site for the integration and testing of selected smart e-health technologies.

April 2005: Dr. Rafik Goubran, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Design at Carleton University, joined TAFETA as co-chair to bring expertise from the Carleton University engineering program to the research initiative.

Since 2005, more than 12 multi-disciplinary projects have been launched, and more than $1 million in peer-reviewed funding has been granted to investigators involved in TAFETA. Currently, more than 25 graduate students are involved in TAFETA research projects, and increasingly complex studies continue to be initiated.

 

Advertisement