As average human life expectancy has risen dramatically over the last century, many countries in Europe are experiencing an ageing of their populations, a trend that is projected to continue until at least the middle of the twenty-first century. With an increasing number of people reaching increasingly higher ages, the ageing society is imposing many problems on society and the economy. Increasing retirement age, financial problems in pensions, health insurance and social security systems, rising medical costs, shortage in nursing personnel are aspects that are commonly attributed to the ageing society.

Considered to be the best preventive medicine for elderly people, increasing physical activity could potentially reduce the risk factor for developing chronic diseases. There is evidence from geriatric studies that physical activity may prevent or postpone the problems that come along with aging. Physically inactive people are twice as likely to develop cardiovascular diseases compared to those who are physically active. Moderate physical activity on three-to-five occasions per week reduces blood pressure. Physical activity contributes to increased bone density and can thus counteract osteoporosis. Moreover, it elevates physical function to levels which can guarantee more years of independent living. Finally, physically inactive people are at greater risk of developing depression than those who are physically active, while physically active persons may have reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Physical activity plays an important role in maintaining health and effective function in older people and its significance emerges in public health issues such as disease prevention, maintenance of an healthy independent lifestyle in later life stages.

Since physical rehabilitation is a complex and long-term process that requires clinician experts and appropriate tools, technology that can successfully support the rehabilitation of individuals is of great interest to all the parties in sports and health industry. Technology is expected to play an increasingly active role in providing care to ageing populations. At a basic level, it can be applied to support medical professionals by relieving them of routine, mundane tasks. There is a new trend in the way physical exercise can be incorporated into a fitness training program, namely “exergaming”. Exergaming is a form of exercise through the use of video games and vitual environments whose main focus is the improvement and promotion of physical health of individuals. Exergames combined with activity monitoring technologies have been promising as a form of game that may make people involved in these video games more actively and physically.