Description USEFIL provides advanced but affordable in-home monitoring and web communication solutions that are unobtrusive. It addresses the gap between state of the art technological research and the practical needs of elderly people. USEFIL uses low cost "off-the-shelf" technology to develop immediately applicable services that assist the elderly in maintaining their independence and daily activities. Installation of the USEFIL system will not require retrofitting in a person’s residence and will be almost invisible once installed. Elements are e.g. low cost wireless video cameras, a smart web-TV and a wrist-worn mobile unit (matching daily activities with the user profile).  The software driven system will be based on open source platforms, so applications can be easily added or taken out with no real limit to the number of services offered. Based on extensive user tests, USEFIL intends to provide guidelines for technology developers to optimize the future generation of applications for an ageing population.