TOWARDS AN AGE-FRIENDLY EU BY 2020 - FROM THEORY TO LOCAL PRACTICE - AGE Platform
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TOWARDS
AN AGE-FRIENDLY
EU BY 2020
FROM THEORY
TO LOCAL PRACTICE
Update on EU action and examples
of good practices across the EU
December 2013
In follow-up to...Table of contents
Foreword 3
Introduction 4
_01 Update on EU action towards an Age-Friendly EU by 2020 5
• Polish EU Presidency Equality Summit 2011 on local and regional action 6
• EU action on accessibility 6
• European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing 7
• Senior Tourism 7
_02 AFE-INNOVNET project 8
_03 Examples of notable practices 11
• Adapt labour markets and work places according to evolving
workers’ needs as they age 12
• Services vouchers: a tool to prevent stress and to
support work-life balance, Delphine Chilese-Lemarinier,
Edenred European Affairs Delegate 12
• Formabilio, an example of intergenerational workplace,
Maria Grazia Andali and Andrea Carbone, IT 13
• Strengthen older people’s autonomy and quality of life through age-
inclusive products and services, buildings, transport, new technologies 15
• Getting out and about; what’s it worth?
Prof Catharine Ward Thompson, UK 16
• Creating a better environment for home care,
Bart Schelfhout, Philips, NL 17
• Enhance social inclusion across life-cycle thanks to adequate social
protection for all ages 19
• Friuli Venezia Giulia Region strategy in Active and Healthy Ageing,
Matteo Apuzzo, IT 20
• Dementia-friendly municipalities,
Veerle Baert, Association of Flemish Cities and Municipalities, BE 21
Useful links 23Foreword
Neelie Kroes,
Vice President of
the European Commission
Excerpt from speech to AGE General At EU level we are
Assembly Conference 17 May 2013. investing in those
ideas. Our FP7 and
Your organisation, AGE, is for those in
Horizon 2020 programmes will continue
Europe over 50. Already today that means
to look at fundamental research: into
you represent 150 million people. By 2060,
the effect of ageing on body, mind and
though, you could represent close to half
community. Into the technologies, services
the EU population! And over that same
and applications that can tackle these
period, the number of over 65s will almost
challenges. And at how we can help older
double. While government spending on
people live actively and independently for
related areas could increase by 20%.
longer.
There are a number of ways to look at that.
Healthcare is just one part of an age-
You could see it as a triumph: advancing
friendly EU. It’s also about having homes
medical science and enlightened public
more suited to older people. Or building
policy have delivered something wonderful
smarter cities, where it’s easier to get
for our citizens. Longer, healthier lives.
around, and which are more responsive to
Or you could see it as a fantastic market people’s needs. In fact Smart Cities is the
opportunity. After all, the potential ‘silver subject of our “other” European Innovation
market’ for older people is already worth Partnership.
around €3 trillion – and growing fast.
That calls for a change in attitude. Ageing
Or you could see it purely as a challenge. isn’t a problem, but a source of innovation
As a rising cost in the national accounts. As and growth. It’s not just an expanding
an awkward trend demanding an arduous cost to be cut, but a growing market
response. And, personally, I think too many opportunity to be served. We shouldn’t
people do just see it that way. But however protect powers and practices, but must
you see it, one thing is clear. The change come together to share, and see how we
is huge, and we must respond. can do things differently.
3Introduction
Eurostat population projections foresee We believe that the best solution to
that the number of people aged over 60 Europe’s demographic challenge is
will increase by about two million persons therefore to empower older people to
per annum in the coming decades, while age in better health and to contribute
the working age population has started more actively to the labour market and
to shrink. This will result in an increasing to their communities. This will help lower
number of very old persons and fewer the pressure on public budgets and will
young persons to care for them (family enable our societies to better cope with
members or healthcare professionals). demographic ageing in a way that is fair
for all generations.
According to the World Health Organization
(WHO), the physical and social Building on the EY2012 of Active Ageing
environments are key determinants of and Solidarity between Generations
whether people can remain healthy, and to mark the European Year 2013,
independent and autonomous long into AGE Platform Europe organised an open
their old age. Promoting age-friendly conference back to back with its annual
environments (AFE) is one of the most General Assembly on 16-17 May 2013
effective approaches for responding to in Brussels on the theme “Towards an
demographic change and increasing the age-friendly EU”. Through three panel
Healthy Life Year indicator (measuring discussions, participants discussed various
“disability-free life expectancy”). Creating examples of good practice in the field of
age-friendly environments means adapting employment, social protection reforms, use
our everyday living environment to the of new technologies, adapting transport
needs of the ageing population in order to and housing infrastructure, promotion of
empower people to age in better physical tourism and social participation. These
and mental health, promote their social examples are presented in part II of this
inclusion and active participation and help brochure while Part I provides an update
them maintain their autonomy and a good on EU action towards an age-friendly EU
quality of life in their old age. They enable by 2020.
older workers to remain at work for longer,
lower the pressure on traditional care and
assistance and boost the economy through
demand for innovative solutions.
4_01
Update on EU action towards
an age-friendly EU 2020
5AGE members believe that the best way Polish EU Presidency Equality
to help Europe overcome its demographic Summit 2011 on local and
challenge is to empower older people regional action
to remain actively engaged in the
This key annual event - co-organised by
labour market and in their communities
the Polish EU Presidency and the European
by combating age discrimination and
Commission DG Justice in November 2011 -
promoting the concept of “design-for-
took a new approach to equality and looked
all” in all areas of life: transport, built
at how regional development strategies
environment, urban planning, health and
can address equality issues in an effective
long-term care services, mainstream
way; how different partnerships between
goods and services, etc. Removing existing
stakeholders working in equality can be
barriers that prevent older people from
forged at regional and local level; how
participating on an equal basis with other
European funding mechanisms can be used
citizens will enable everyone to age in
to help people experiencing inequality and
better health and to remain independent
discrimination.
for much longer. This will help lower the
pressure on public health and care budgets
and will enable our societies to better cope EU action on accessibility
with demographic ageing in a way that is
Directorate General Justice (European
sustainable and fair to all generations.
Commission) launched a consultation on
Below is an update on the most significant the envisaged Accessibility Act which
actions taken at EU level that support our should be released in the first quarter
campaign towards an age-friendly EU by 2014. This forthcoming piece of legislation
2020. is enshrined in the EU disability strategy
(2010-2020) and the ratification of the UN
Convention on the rights of persons with
disabilities.
DG Justice is also running every year the EU
Access City Award which encourage public
authorities to take action to improve the
accessibility of the local environment. AGE
is involved in juries at both national and
European level.
6After almost three years of work, EU Presidency and of a large network
the Technical Specifications for rail of stakeholders (local and regional
Interoperability on accessibility for authorities, research centres, NGOs, etc.)
persons with reduced mobility (TSI-PRM)
To support our objective of creating an
was adopted by the EU Member States on
age-friendly EU by 2020 and the launch of
30 January 2014. The Member States are
a EU Covenant on Demographic Change,
now obliged to identify existing barriers
AGE is coordinating a large EU project
to accessibility of trains and stations and
entitled AFE-INNOVNET which will seek
to progressively eliminate these barriers
to set up a large EU wide community of
based on strategic implementation plans.
local and regional authorities (LRAs) and
other relevant stakeholders across the EU
European Innovation who want to work together to find smart
Partnership on Active and and innovative evidence based solutions
Healthy Ageing to support active and healthy ageing
and develop age-friendly environments
Many solutions supporting active and
(AFE) across the EU. This work is done in
healthy ageing have been developed
close cooperation with the World Health
as pilots across the EU, but they remain
Organisation that will provide technical
isolated and do not get scaled up, not even
expertise and documents to support this
in their own country. This means that their
EU network on age-friendly environments.
impact on addressing Europe demographic
challenge is limited.
Senior tourism
For that reason AGE insisted that one of the
action groups of the European Innovation The EU Calypso initiative seeks to help
partnership for Active and Healthy (EIP disadvantaged people, including older
AHA) should be devoted to age-friendly people go on holiday – while at the same
environments. This is how the EIP AHA time increasing tourism in the low season.
Action Group D4 was created and in this
group AGE is coordinating the Action Area
2 which promotes a European covenant
on demographic change. The proposed
Covenant has received the support of the
Committee of the Regions in their “Opinion
on Active Ageing: Innovation, Smart Health
and Better Lives ” requested by the Danish
7_02
AFE-INNOVNET project
8To support our objective of creating an The overarching goal of this thematic
age-friendly EU by 2020 and the launch of network (TN) is to set up a large EU wide
a EU Covenant on Demographic Change, community of local and regional authorities
AGE will be coordinating a large EU project (LRAs) and other relevant stakeholders
entitled AFE-INNOVNET which will seek across the EU who want to work together
to set up a large EU wide community of to find smart and innovative evidence
local and regional authorities (LRAs) and based solutions to support active and
other relevant stakeholders across the EU healthy ageing and develop age-friendly
who want to work together to find smart environments (AFE) across the EU.
and innovative evidence based solutions
The AFE-INNOVNET consortium is
to support active and healthy ageing and
composed of 29 partners, local and regional
develop age-friendly environments (AFE)
authorities, NGOs, research centres. All in
across the EU.
all, the thematic network will support and
This work will be done in close cooperation enhance the operational implementation
with the World Health Organization (WHO) of the EIP AHA D4 Action Group’s work
that will provide technical expertise and plan.
documents to support this EU network on
age-friendly environments. The ultimate
aim the project is to develop a strong
movement across the EU for the promotion
of age-friendly environments that will
use the relevant EU policies and funding
instruments and will become the WHO
Global Network of Age-Friendly Cities and
Communities programme for the EU area.
9The AFE-INNOVNET consortium and `` facilitate information sharing between
supporting partners have joined forces to: all interested stakeholders in the field of
AFE;
`` mobilise a wide range of local and
regional authorities and other `` launch an EU Covenant on Demographic
stakeholders – industries, including Change to create the necessary political
SMEs, research centre/universities, civil and technical framework to bring together
society organizations – to link up, benefit in a more formal and long-term structure
from each other’s experience and work local and regional authorities – and other
together to promote initiatives on AFE stakeholders - across the EU who want
across the EU; to cooperate and implement smart and
innovative evidence based solutions. The
`` develop methodologies to help local
proposed Covenant will be inspired by the
and regional authorities assess the
existing Covenant on sustainable energy.
socioeconomic impact of AFE and the
benefits of involving older people in the The project has just started and the
co-production of AFE solutions; thematic network is now open to new
partners. All parties interested in sharing
`` develop a repository of notable and
experience and working together toward
replicable practices in innovative new
our objective of creating an age-friendly
technologies (ICT) and services solutions
EU by 2020 are encouraged to join this
with associated socio-economic evidence;
project. More information is available on
`` facilitate pilot projects clustering to the project website at: www.afeinnovnet.
stimulate local/regional investment in ICT eu or www.towardsanagefriendlyeu.eu
and services innovation and thus local/
regional economic activity (with a focus
on SMEs);
`` facilitate public access to research/
expertise and generic methodologies in
the field of AFE;
`` ensure convergence and strong
coordination with WHO Age-Friendly
Cities and Healthy Cities initiatives;
10_03
Examples of
notable practices
11Adapt labour markets and Services vouchers: a tool to prevent
work places according to stress and to support work life
evolving needs as people age balance,Delphine Chilese-Lemarinier,
Edenred European Affairs Delegate
Governments all over the EU are promoting
In the current context of high
longer working lives to help reduce the
unemployment rates and stretched
demographic pressure on public budgets.
budget, job insecurity is rising as well as
However, the inclusiveness of the labour
pressure on employees. This situation is
market has been increasingly challenged
combined to structural factors such as
since the crisis started. Younger and older
the ageing population or the increasing
workers are the first ones to be made
number of women in the workforce. More
redundant in case of restructuration.
and more employees are facing stressful
Rapid ageing implies longer careers situations while they are shouldering the
for older people but raises the issue responsibility of one or more dependents.
of access to employment for younger Access to quality and affordable services
cohorts, and implications of work careers (i.e. childcare, elderly care, home services)
on pension rights, for instance for women constitutes an important determinant of
who most often carry the burden of care citizens‘ employment opportunities, health
responsibilities. How then best reconcile and workplace productivity.
needs and requests of different age
Based on studies from international
groups on the labour market which can
organisations or national institutes,
be sometimes contradictory. Optimisation
some innovative and practical solutions
of individual experience, knowledge
have been designed to meet employees’
and skills seems to be one of the best
needs. Among them, services vouchers
solutions. Below are some examples of
have turned out to be efficient tools
good practices that were presented and
facilitating the implementation of social
discussed at our conference.
and employment policies. Vouchers
enable employers to contribute to their
employees’ domestic services costs in a
transparent way.
The system operates on the basis of
very simple principles through a specific
tax and legal framework and is built on
shared responsibility between companies,
12employees, services providers and public about balancing their lives with their job.
authorities. Once it has been introduced Childcare vouchers can help contribute
by a legal framework, this system has towards the cost of childcare while
proved to be very effective and successful: parents are at work. 450,000 individuals
public institutions grant social subsidies from 30 000 companies have used them
with better fund control and no additional in 2010. Vouchers can also promote long-
administrative burden, it guarantees the life learning and help employees to boost
allocation’s destination, and creates jobs their adaptability to the market, such as
within the formal economy. It improves the Belgian Opleidingscheque.
employees’ quality of life with a greater
Moreover, services vouchers are very
purchasing power and an access to
easy to manage whatever the size of the
household services. Workers from all
company. They then represent innovative,
ages can benefit from these schemes
adaptable and efficient tools to answer
to cope with their personal and familial
demographic challenges and to provide
responsibilities.
employees with an easy access to services
For instance, the CESU voucher in France is that can ease their everyday life.
an instrument which eases the employees’
access to a wide-range of personal and Formabilio, an example of
household services (home cleaning, intergenerational entrepreneurship
ironing, child-minding, gardening, services Maria Grazia Andali and Andrea
for elderly and disabled people, etc.). Carbone, IT
This system simplifies administrative Formabilio was founded by two young
procedures to hire a domestic worker in communication experts, Andrea Carbone
order to convert undeclared work into and Maria Grazia Andali, from Milan who
formal job and to create new activities decided to take off for a small medieval
on a legal basis. It appears to be a really village in the Veneto region, where they
successful and popular solution: in 2011, decided to invest in one of the most famous
3.4 million households were using such sectors of “Made in Italy”, and among the
services, that is to say, 13% of the French hardest hit by the crisis: furniture.
households.
A start-up with a business eye and ethical
In the UK, the childcare voucher represents mind, Formabilio, was born to make
a tool to encourage parents to remain at participatory design and “Made in Italy”
work after child birth. The solution was a brand that can be exported worldwide,
implemented to involve the employer and thanks to the web and all players involved.
make it shares the employees’ concerns Formabilio pinpoints designers through
13contests to identify the most innovative, Based on the idea of crowdsourcing,
eco-friendly and appealing furniture Formabilio shares the income with
projects, which are submitted to the everyone involved in the project from
assessment and comments of a community the manufacturing enterprises to the
of design enthusiasts. The projects are designers, who get a 7% fee on the final
then produced using the expertise of small sale price.
Italian manufacturing companies and sold
In addition to its entrepreneurial
on formabilio.com at a fair price.
development objective, the participatory
Nine months after its launch, the platform system of Formabilio encourages also
formabilio.com has about 70,500 registered intergenerational cooperation and
users. More than 1350 designers have been knowledge transfer for the production
entering the 14 home design contests of high quality furniture. The sharing
and have submitted over 2500 projects. of experience and acquired knowledge
Designers, from all over the world, can take place both within the community of
enter the contests launched every two registered users and inside Formabilio’s
weeks and send their furniture, accessories partner companies.
and lighting projects.
The participating projects are not only rated
and commented on by our community
of design lovers, but also judged by a
technical commission that values every
entry according to the contest’s theme,
its sustainability and its attractiveness to
potential customers, who are increasingly
ecologically conscious and accustomed to
buying online. Once the best ideas are
selected, Formabilio’s network companies
develop the prototypes. They are then
published on the platform formabilio.
com and finally sold online as Formabilio
products through the co-operation of
manufacturing company and designer.
14The first four companies chosen by trengthen older people’s
S
Formabilio as partners tell a unique story of autonomy and quality of
handcraft, tradition, as well as transmission life through age-inclusive
of excellence. Formabilio conserves products and services,
their know-how based on long-lasting buildings, transport, new
engagement of older workers, consisting technologies
of techniques and skills passed down from
In a context of great urbanisation and
generation to generation, by investing in
demographic shift, improving accessibility
the ideas of today’s youth, in the local
of our built environment, transport,
area, in the future of an entire land. Our
goods and services will support mobility,
partners work with motivation, humility
independent living, better health, safety
and pride –the pride of being a part of this
and thus quality of life. Doing so, it will
process that aims to promote and increase
also boost innovation and growth potential
the values of sustainability and Made in
across the EU and will bring economic
Italy. On the online platform there is an
benefits at local, regional, national and
exchange of advice and opinions between
EU levels. It is worth noting that countries
young and senior designers, thing that is
with high accessibility standards in the
advantageous for both, because creativity
built environment, transport and ICT are
and innovation of the young are improved
the countries where the highest levels of
by the experience of the senior.
employment of both older women and
During manufacturing process as well, men are found and those which perform
older and experienced craftsmen use best in terms of Healthy Life Years
their expertise to help new generations of indicator (measuring “disability-free life
designers improve their concept and adapt expectancy”). This shows that promoting
it to production and final commercialisation. accessibility in a pro-active way does not
Furthermore, thanks to the organised hamper the economy, but on the contrary
contests, the labour market inclusion is benefits society and the economy in
encouraged. Formabilio’s competitions are general by lowering the disability threshold
addressed to young designer between 18 which makes life easier for everyone and
and 90 years old and 12 % of the members supports older persons to age actively and
of the design enthusiasts’ community are healthily in their communities.
over 50 years old.
The session was based on an exchange
of existing initiatives from across the EU
on how age-friendly environments are
already implemented or could be further
15improved at grass-root level. Panellists to live at home but not actively in your
presented good practices with regard to community, you are more likely to be
the adaptation of goods, products and at risk of social isolation and physical
services, which also take into account the inactivity. The latter has been found by the
financial constraints in the context of the World Health Organization to be the fourth
on-going crisis. Panellists agreed that in this leading risk factor for global mortality (6%
time of crisis it is even more important that of deaths globally).
all actors concerned by population ageing
Inclusive Design for Getting Outdoors
should invest in solutions which empower
(I’DGO) has been undertaking research
all citizens to live more independently and
into older people’s access to the public
participate fully in society. The panel also
realm since 2003. Our research has found
provided the audience with an overview
that if older people live in an environment
of initiatives on outdoor and indoor
that makes it easy and enjoyable for them
environment accessibility, the role of ICT
to go outdoors, or within ten minutes’
solutions to support active and healthy
walk of a park, they are more likely to be
ageing, as well as initiatives of social
physically active and satisfied with life and
participation and leisure for seniors.
twice as likely to achieve recommended
levels of healthy walking. The pedestrian
Getting out and about; what’s
experience is vitally important to older
it worth? Prof Catharine Ward
people, but many find it difficult. Our
Thompson, UK
research participants have told us that this
The desire to get out and about is always
is often due to the poor design, provision,
with us. From accessing shops and services
installation or upkeep of neighbourhood
to having a walk in the park, being able to
features, especially footways.
use the streets and green spaces around
your home is vital to your quality of life. From tactile paving to ‘smart’ road
And quality of life is what matters as crossings, government has worked hard
people live longer. to keep up with innovations in providing
inclusive access to outdoor environments.
It is estimated that, by 2050, there will be
The challenge, however, is that one size
a 70% increase in the number of people in
does not fit all. In our research, we have
the EU aged 65 or over. If this population
found that older people and people
experiences an unhealthy older age, it
with mobility problems do not expect
places a significant financial burden on
the environment to be tailored to their
all levels of government and systems of
requirements.
health and social care. If you are able
16What they do want, however, is to be Creating a better environment for
made aware of how the built environment home care, Bart Schelfhout from
is changing to meet people’s needs and Philips, NL
what the implications are for them. At Philips, we are dedicated to creating
the future of healthcare and saving lives.
Easy wins for government involve
A growing part of our solutions enables
consistency and awareness raising. If
senior citizens to live well as they age, while
you are going to install tactile paving,
at the same time helping governments,
make sure it conforms to standards and is
policy makers, advocates and planners
sending out the right message to people
in addressing the challenges they are
who ‘read’ it with their feet or with a stick
facing as a consequence of demographic
(blister paving at crossings, not steps, for
change. In this way, we help create the
example). If you are going to spend money
positive agenda that we believe longevity
on intelligent road crossings, especially
deserves as one of the most remarkable
those where a ‘green man’ (or equivalent)
achievements of modern history.
is no longer visible on the opposite side of
the road, inform local residents how the Over the last two years, we teamed up with
new system works and what the benefits globally renowned experts, developing
are. Effective consultation at the right time an ‘Ageing Well Model’ to explore the
and through the right channels not only possibilities and prospects for successful
promotes good will and accountability ageing. The model identifies independence
but may save both time and money in and engagement as the two key quality
providing an outdoor environment that of life factors people want to maintain as
everyone feels a part of. they age. Several of our latest innovations
and initiatives that rethink the delivery of
healthcare are based on this insight.
We now have an opportunity to transform
Europe’s healthcare systems to deliver
better, more seamless and more consistent
care from hospital to home, to manage
and treat chronic diseases, lower hospital
readmission rates, reduce costs and
increase efficiencies.
17That is why we are an active partner in the Falls in the elderly are another major
European Innovation Partnership on Active health problem. It is has emerged from
and Healthy Ageing, working with partners data in the US that roughly 1 in 3 people
from across Europe on the integration of over 65 fall at least once a year. Half of
health and social care enabled by care them experience the same again the next
at home technologies. This will enable year. That is why we launched a robust,
people to live better, more comfortably, reliable and unobtrusive alarm button with
and as independently and autonomously fall detection technology. As part of the
as possible. iStoppFalls consortium with partners in
the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Austria,
To give one example: Philips is leading the
and Australia, we now go one step further:
ACT project - Advancing Care Coordination
to investigate technology that has the
and Tele-health deployment, an EU co-
potential to predict falls and measure the
funded programme to overcome structural
fall risk of people over time.
and organizational barriers to deployment
of integrated care. For this, we have Our solutions and innovation pipelines cover
partnered with five European regions the entire continuum of care, from finding
(Scotland, Groningen, Lombardy, Catalonia ways to motivate people to stay active
and Basque Country) to share data and and to exercise, over early diagnostics
experiences and create a best practices and screening, to therapy and medication
“cookbook” to ensure that the findings can management or helping people to deal
be replicated in other European regions. with sleep apnea and respiratory problems
like COPD or asthma. Open innovation is
what we stand for. Partnership is the best
way towards meaningful development
and rapid deployment of innovations to
the direct benefit of patients and society.
That is why we look forward continuing
our relation with AGE Platform Europe.
18Enhance social inclusion Various initiatives are seeking to address
across life-cycle thanks to the current and future challenges when
adequate social protection reforming social protection – in particular
for all ages through tailor-made response to specific
needs of ageing populations at local
When asked about difficulties faced in
level. The objective is to make social
everyday life, older people first refer
protection systems both financially and
to the lack of financial resources and
socially sustainable on the long-term, and
increasingly difficult access to affordable
to protect today’s and future generations
health and social care services. In time
against old age dependency. The issue
when governments are reducing public
of gender dimension in age-friendly
spending in all sectors, the disposable
social protection systems also needs to
income of older people is decreasing not
be addressed. The persistence of gender
only due to changes introduced in pension
inequality at successive stages of life
or minimum income schemes, but also
exposes many older women at risk of
in the overall social protection systems,
poverty, in particular at the very old age.
forcing them to spend more “out of pocket’
The current crisis has made this worse
on various services, such as health or long-
due to the increasing costs of living and
term care, transport, etc. The trend to shift
the individualisation of protection against
from pay-as-you-go to supplementary
the risk of dependency in old age in many
defined contributions schemes will lead
Member States.
to greater risk of poverty among older
women if nothing is done to address the
discrimination that women suffer in these
schemes. Last but not least, with the
persistence of the crisis, living conditions
are worsening also for a growing number of
older people with incomes just above the
poverty threshold who are consequently
no longer eligible for social transfers.
19Friuli Venezia Giulia Region strategy The most recent regional plans and
in Active and Healthy Ageing legislation have defined a model of
Gian Matteo Apuzzo, Local Health integrated system of social and health
Authority n.5, on behalf of the Central services, and the promotion of home care is
Directorate for Health, Social-Health developed mainly through the partnership
Integration and Social Policies, Friuli between Municipalities and Local Health
Venezia Giulia Autonomous Region Authorities, that are actively involved in
Friuli Venezia Giulia Region (FVG) is facing strengthening innovative solutions. To
the challenges of an ageing population and deal with the challenges of the ageing
the growth of the number of dependent population, FVG has been promoting
persons. The rate of over 65 people is different initiatives aimed at supporting
more than 23% of the total population, older persons, their families and the local
with some cases, like the region capital authorities: i.e. there is a regional fund
city of Trieste, where the people over65 for the autonomy of dependent people
are already around 28%. The dependent (FAP, “Fondo per l’Autonomia possible”), a
persons are 55.000 and it is estimated that regional initiative supporting independent
in 2050 the figure will double. living at home (“Abitare Possibile”) and
several actions promoting integrated
In the past, the regional policies supported
care (social and health care) through a
mostly institutional care solutions and
community welfare approach.
the development of nursing home,
but in the last years a transition from One of the most recent initiatives in FVG
institutional care to community welfare is a strategic regional project (“ASPAD”
has started. Nowadays the main goal is Project) to promote home-care and
to empower older people to live healthy accessibility in the local welfare system
and independently at home as long through the support to local networks
as possible. FVG is strongly promoting (public-private partnerships) for the home
integrated home care, independent living care.
and community based solutions for older
The integrated approach is also addressed
people, supporting the autonomy of
by the synergies between social/health
ageing people living in their own dwellings
and innovation sectors, promoted thanks
(homes, communities) by demand driven
to the regional law on innovation (law
solutions.
26/2005), that has a specific article, Art.22,
aimed at innovation in the welfare sector,
“promoting partnership and involving
the private sector”. Many pilot projects
20have been promoted in the last 5 years Dementia-friendly municipalities,
by developing ICT-based solutions in the Veerle Baert, Association of Flemish
field of accessibility, domotic and e-health. Cities and Municipalities, BE
The Regional Directorate for Health and The Association of Flemish Cities and
Social Policies has supported a regional Municipalities (Vereniging van Vlaamse
laboratory on Accessibility, Domotic and Steden en Gemeenten, VVSG) is the
Innovation (LADI), that has been recently representative member organisation of
established as the “Cluster for industrial all the Flemish municipalities, of the public
research on technologies for ambient centres for social welfare and of about fifty
living - “FVG as a l@b”, involving around inter-municipal companies. It represents
45 regional organisations. the interests of both local elected politicians
and municipal employees. The Association
FVG is also involved in several initiatives
of VVSG is involved in the development
and networks at EU level (through the
of dementia friendly municipalities in
Local Health Authorities), such as two EU
Flanders (Belgium). Together with the
territorial cooperation projects (HELPS,
King Baudouin Foundation VVSG published
strategic Central Europe project on
a guide ‘How to make your community
innovative housing and care solutions
dementia friendly’.
for older people and vulnerable persons,
and CASA, Interreg IVC funded project on In 2012 The King Baudouin Foundation
ambient assisted living solutions), SMART gave the VVSG the assignment of the
CARE (ICT PSP funded initiative on wide preservation of the existing dementia
deployment of integrated care services), friendly municipalities and to develop a
CORAL Network and the commitment strategy to encourage other municipalities
in the EIP-AHA D4 WG for age-friendly to start with a dementia policy.
environments.
21There are 3 key motives why municipalities organisation has set up various actions
should become dementia friendly: to improve the social integration of
persons with dementia so as to let them
`` There is still a taboo on dementia. The
be considered as “full citizens” again. The
image of dementia is unilateral negative
main objectives of this project are: breaking
and this has a negative influence on the
the existing taboo on dementia, painting
quality of life of people with dementia.
a more nuanced image of the disease and
Dementia friendly communities can help
installing a climate of solidarity and shared
to tackle this stigma.
responsibility.
`` The number of people with dementia will
`` Hekla ‘Missing’
be growing in the future due to the ageing
society. A dementia friendly community The Missing project Hekla consists of a
guaranties that people can live at their uniform protocol to retrieve persons with
own houses much longer and that their dementia more efficiently. It builds on
quality of life becomes higher. an intensive collaboration between the
police officers, health care organisations,
`` People with dementia do not live alone.
public transport and citizens. A uniform
If we can improve the quality of life of
identification file of the person with
people with dementia, we can improve
dementia helps to reduce the time for
the quality of life of their family, friends
retrieving the missing person.
and neighbours.
`` Forgotten to come outside (Leuven)
The project “vergeten naar buiten te
Three Flemish dementia friendly
komen» (forgotten to come outside) is for
municipalities (Hekla ‘Missing’, Leuven and
people with dementia in the city of Leuven
Bruges) won a European Award.
who are living at their own home who are
`` Together towards an dementia friendly given the opportunity to participate in
Bruges cultural and sport activities in and around
the city. A dementia friendly community is
This project strives to improve the quality
a project that requests the full cooperation
of life of persons with dementia and their
of different partners: local authorities,
environment by bringing about a mentality
health care services, police, and not in the
change among all citizens, organisations,
least the collaboration of every citizen in
businesses, institutions and officials, all
the community.
leading to more respectful, equivalent
communication and interaction. The
22Useful links Tackling age discrimination, European Commission website : http://ec.europa.eu/justice/discrimination/age/index_en.htm European Innovation partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/eipaha/ EU City Access Award: http://ec.europa.eu/justice/discrimination/disabilities/award/index_fr.htm AGE Platform Europe’s work on age-friendly environments: www.age-platform.eu/age-policy-work/age-friendly-environments AGE manifesto for the EP elections ‘Towards an age-friendly EU’: www.age-platform.eu/images/stories/EN/AGE_EP_Manifesto_Nov2013.pdf AFE-INNOVNET project: www.afeinnovnet.eu and www.towardsanagefriendlyeu.eu WHO age-friendly environment programme www.who.int/ageing/age_friendly_cities/en UN Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities www.un.org/disabilities/convention/conventionfull.shtml
TOWARDS
AN AGE-FRIENDLY EU
You share our vision of a society for all ages where
all citizens, whatever their age, can enjoy equal
rights and opportunities and are empowered to
contribute to the wellbeing of their communities ?
Join our movement to promote age-friendly
environments across the EU at :
www.towardsanagefriendlyeu.eu
For more information, please contact :
AGE Platform Europe Tel. + 32 2 280 14 70
Rue Froissart, 111 Fax + 32 2 280 15 22
1040 Brussels, Belgium info@age-platform.eu
With support from the European Union Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity (PROGRESS).
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