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History of the lab

La Grave Gerontechnology lab is located at the head-quarters of Gérontopôle in Cité de la Santé, La Grave University Hospital. It is embedded within the community services and ambulatory geriatry wards. It was first founded as a junction of the gerontechnologic activities of François Steenkeste Eng at Inserm U558 (presently UMR 1027 Inserm Université Toulouse 3) and those Pierre Rumeau MD brought back from his activity as a lecturer at Charles Foix University Hospital in Ivry sur Seine. They have benefited from a first location in Dr Michel Rumeau's Gerontology Department in La Grave Hospital where they could keep closely in touch with the patients and their needs, and benefit from a close to hand "living lab". After some time in the former chemistry in St Joseph court, the lab has settled in its present premises. The laboratory was founded in 2002. In 2009, La Grave Gerontechnology lab was officially labelled as a part of the Toulouse Gérontopôle, President Pr Bruno Vellas. In 2010, as Inserm U558 received it's agreement renewal, La Grave Gerontechnology lab was officially recognised as such as a part of unit's team 1; as a specialized support to implement gerontechnology actions as part of home interventional epidemiology studies on the frail elderly. La Grave Gerontechnology lab is now fully part of Inserm U 1027 run by Pr Sandrine Andrieu. La Grave Gerontechnology lab has to keep to the double, gerontology and technical, allegiance which allowed the development of tailored measurement tools and aids, coping with the special needs of the frail elderly and of those with cognitive impairment related to Alzheimer's disease (quiritachronometer, TAPIS device, digital homecare logbook...). The lab could take part in a wider acceptation in the development of gerontechnologies in France. Lately, since late 2010, La Grave Gerontechnology lab could take part in the clinical gerontechnology service provided by the Gérontopôle, under the responsibility of Pr Fati Nourhashemi. Since September 23rd, 2014, our lab is "CEN STIMCO Lab South France", this designation was publicized at the October 23rd meeting of national reference centers organized by the French National Body in charge of Autonomy and Solidarity (CNSA). Our members are taking part in True Life Lab association, a transdisciplinary association of researchers promoting a method to create, develop, try and test, services based on new technologies to mitigate handicap with a special focus on polyhandicap in the elderly.

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