English | Language | Ageing in the Digital Age

HoCare

Innovative solutions for Home Care by strengthening quadruple-helix cooperation in regional innovation chains. Ageing of the population is challenge for all EU regions. But it means at the same time also an opportunity for growh and jobs as there is created great potentila to dleiver innovative solution for home care. Objective of HoCare project is to boost delivery of home careinnovative solutions by strengthening of cooperation of actors in regional innovation system using Qudruple-helix approach, which is an innovation cooperation model where users, business, research actors/universities and public authorities cooperate in order to produce innovation. Government, industry, academia and civil participants work together to co-create structural changes far beyond the scope of what any organization or person could do alone.

Link to the video – thematic workshop Slovenia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5B8VKXRMNFI&t=5s

Source: Interreg Europe HoCare Project

Access date: 14.10.2021

EkoSMART – Smart Integrated Healthcare and Longterm Care System

EkoSMART (Smart Integrated Healthcare and Longterm Care System) is a large research project in Slovenija. One of its field of research (smart integrated healthcare and longterm care system) aims to enable elderly population, people with chronic diseases, dementia or other health conditions, longer, more active and safer conditions to remain living independent in their own homes, resulted in a social care service based on IoT (Internet of Things) and person-centered technologies, available 24 hours a day. The technology supporting the service detects a need for intervention if a user is due to falling or other difficult health condition not able to make an urgent call.

EkoSMART is developing approaches and prototypes to ensure the basic conditions for effective transformation to integrated healthcare and home care system. It provides: integration of different levels of healthcare, effective and secure exchange of information among different stakeholders of the healthcare system on the national level (national registers, accounting system, big data analysis) and basic conditions for development and sustainability of the healthcare and social system.

The main goals are:

development of a model of integrated healthcare provision and the establishment of related infrastructure,
development of a systemic foundations for extending the model of integrated healthcare provision,
raise the quality of life and safety of chronic patients and extended care,
safe use of medicines and reduced number of referrals to clinical pharmacologists.

Source: Telekom Slovenia https://www.telekom.si/zasebni-uporabniki/ponudba/e-oskrba

Access date: 12.12.2021

DIGITAL INCLUSION FOR SENIORS

Slovenian Third Age University (National Association for Education and Social Inclusion)

is currently a nation wide set network of 52 universities in 52 localities with about 21.000 students, more than 1.000 mentors and 1.000 volunteers.

Since 1984 when it was established it has been catering for the needs of older people in the field of informatics and new technologies. In 1986 mentors of Slovenian Third Age University developed a programme for low -literate employees complete beginners to learn both English and computer skills needed for the programme WordStar. It was accompanied by a film with mimes illustrating basic computer skills and was a breakthrough in ICT education. In Ljubljana there are currently more than 620 students enrolled in computer classes right now. There are programmes catering for students needs at different levels and developing overall computers skills.

Source: The Slovenian Universitxy of Third Age

Access date: 30.09.2021

Digital Inclusion and Active Ageing Developing a user-centred methodological approach to investigate the use of mobile phone among older people

Contemporary societies are facing two striking trends: widespread population ageing and rapid diffusion of information and communication technologies (ICTs). Since old age often implies ailing health and social isolation, societies could embrace the advances in ICTs to enhance social integration, health and active ageing. However, the complexity and novelty of ICTs threaten many older people with exclusion from their use. Older people could be offered eservices, which would improve their quality of life, if based on age friendly design. Although digital inclusion is strongly advocated in the EU research and policy strategies and associated with positive outcomes such as high quality of life for older people, and new market opportunities for ICT system providers, the uptake of assistive technologies (ATs) among elderly is slow-moving. In this context, mobile phones (MPs) represent an opportunity for digital inclusion due to their already widespread use among the elderly. Therefore, the project is directed towards studying sociotechnical affordances of ATs in mobile phones to foster inclusive and empowered ageing of the heterogeneous group of the elderly.

The project brings together over two decades of internationally recognized interdisciplinary research by the project team in areas of (a) social informatics, (b) social science methodology, including mixed-methods data collection and evaluation designs for elderly, (c) gerontology, (d) experience with large international (FP5, FP6, FP7, COST Actions, LLP, Interreg) empirical digital inclusion projects and (e) developments of web applications for elderly (online learning games).

Source (access date): Simobil – Slovenian Telecommunication Operator

Access date: 12.12.2021

CODECATZ

In Slovenia there have been several initiatives important for spreading coding, among socially disadvantaged groups among which CodeCatz. CodeCatz ended up founding Django Girls Store, a non-profit organisation that empowers and helps women to organize free, one-day programming workshops by providing tools, resources and support. Their goal is to bring more amazing women into the world of technology and increase the diversity in the tech community. They believe that. They are making technology more approachable by creating simple tools and resources designed with empathy. During the Code Week Slovenian Third Age University and Katja Koren Ošljak made a step further towards older people’s coding.

Django Girls is a non-profit organization and a community that empowers and helps women to organize free, one-day programming workshops by providing tools, resources and support. During each of our events, 30-60 women build their first web application using HTML, CSS, Python and Django.

Source: Django Girsl & The Slovenian Universitxy of Third Age

Access date: 14.10.2021

Fit4internet

The fit4internet initiative launched training courses for basic digital skills for the 60+ generation. A tailor-made offer to discover the possibilities of the mobile internet, to actively use it and to communicate with it in a modern way.

Smartphone, internet, online shops, official channels – mobility is no longer just a question of physical fitness. In order to be able to participate in social life in the digital age, seniors need digital competence – be it to stay in contact with acquaintances, family and friends, or to carry out everyday tasks in a self-determined way.

The initiative fit4internet kicked off with the taster course “Kaffee Digital” (Coffee Digital) for senior citizens. Professional trainers imparted the necessary basics in a cosy and casual atmosphere so that seniors without (much) experience in the digital world can safely take their first steps on the internet, with mobile phones & co – uncomplicated and free of charge.

In addition to “Kaffee Digital”, the explanatory videos on smartphone use on the website deserve special mention: https://www.fit4internet.at/view/digitale-lebenswelten

Source: https://www.fit4internet.at/page/home

Access date: 13.05.2022