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PHARAON – Pilots for Healthy and Active Ageing

The overall objective of the PHArA-ON project is to provide support for Europe’s ageing population by integrating digital services, devices, and tools into open platforms that can be readily deployed while maintaining the dignity of older adults and enhancing their independence, safety, and capabilities. The project will utilise a range of digital tools including connected devices (e.g., the Internet of Things, IoT), artificial intelligence, robotics, cloud and edge computing, smart wearables, big data, and intelligent analytics that will be integrated to provide personalised and optimised health care delivery.

The Slovenian pilot aims at improving well-being through passive monitoring using a variety of sensing devices like wearables, sensors embedded in furniture, and environmental sensors.

During the pre-validation phase, a number of Pharaon technologies were used to monitor physiological indicators of residents directly (wearables, imbedded sensors), as well as to monitor their environment (environmental sensors, embedded sensors):  SmartHabits (ENT), InvisibleCare, IoChat, IoTool (Senlab),  Amicare (CETEM), MOX wearable (MAIN), Wearables (CORO), Discovery (Ascora). Furthermore, a system was tested to easily browse events, register, and potentially arrange transit using a familiar system, like a television with remote control using the following Pharaon technologies:  IoChat, IoTool, SeniorsPhone, InvisibleCare (Senlab), Sentab system (SenTab).  The communication support tools are centered on an easy to use, television-based communication tool (Daisy, SenLab) and a smartphone interface designed specifically with older adults in mind, with chat and other communication tools supported as well.

Source: National Institute of Public Health of Republic of Slovenia

Access date: 01.03.2022

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 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

The Digital Day

The Digital Day is a nationwide day of action for digital participation. It is intended to make digitisation an everyday experience for all citizens with numerous activities. All over Germany, people will come together on the Digital Day at various event formats to discover digital technologies together and get to know them better. Everyone can offer their own activities on the Digital Day: Private individuals, associations, organisations, authorities or companies. In this way, the various aspects of digitisation can be illuminated and discussed on Digitaltag.

The Digital Day takes place once a year.

All actions of the Digital Day should:

  • deal with a topic related to digitalisation as accessible as possible (e.g. digital participation, digital skills, digitalisation and society, digital technologies).
  • be open to a wide range of participants.
  • be offered free of charge if possible.

* be easily accessible, for example through uncomplicated registration.

Source: https://digitaltag.eu

Access date: 01.06.2022

Senior citizens‘ offices

The Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Seniorenbüros e.V. (BaS) is the network of around 450 senior citizens’ offices in Germany. Senior citizens’ offices promote the voluntary engagement of older people and advocate for a good quality of life.

People over 50 are fitter, more active and more numerous today than at any time before. BaS plays a constructive role in shaping demographic change and provides impulses for senior citizens’ work. It stands for a realistic image of old age that is based on the potential of older people.

BaS advises local authorities and independent organisations on the establishment and further development of senior citizens’ offices and represents their interests at federal and state level. It offers advice, further training and specialist conferences and initiates projects that are implemented at the local level.

Professional support is provided in the senior citizens’ offices, including exchange of experience and appropriate framework conditions for volunteers and paying attention to a good culture of appreciation.

Many senior citizens’ offices offer help in the form of consultation hours on the Internet, PC meetings or counselling services by older people for older people. They are also committed to the digital and social participation of (n)onliners.

Source: https://seniorenbueros.org/

Access date: 01.06.2022

Digital study guide for older people (ViLE e.V.)

Virtual and Real Learning and Competence Network for Older Adults was founded in December 2002 by senior citizens and staff of further education institutions from all over Germany.

The network offers introductory courses in the technical basics of virtual learning, virtual literature circles, its own online newspaper for adults interested in further education (www.lerncafe.de), project and seminar work, workshops and travel offers in the sense of research-based travel. The members work together virtually and in real life, also in regional groups.

The association’s latest project is the production of an information brochure on educational opportunities for older people at universities: The “Digital Study Guide for All”.

Source: https://vile-netzwerk.de

Access date: 01.06.2022

Digitally mobile in old age – the podcast for seniors

The Corona crisis in particular has shown how important and helpful digital offers can be. This podcast from the Digital Opportunities Foundation and O2 wants to encourage older people to explore the digital world. Daniel Finger talks to experts, those affected and enthusiasts and gives many suggestions and tips.

The podcast currently has seven episodes:

  • Up to this point and even beyond
  • Seniors on the net – personal experiences
  • Fears, loneliness, concerns
  • Recognising false information from the net
  • Seniors and Corona
  • Seniors and the Internet: A strong team

Digitally mobile in old age – what to expect

Source: https://www.podcast.de/podcast/946545/archiv

Access date: 01.06.2022

Seniors Web

In 2017, the Seniorenweb (Seniors’ Web) association was founded in Vienna. The goal is to make the potential of digitalisation accessible to older people as well. Particularly in crisis or emergency situations (e.g. illness, need for care, immobility, etc.), digital mobility helps to:

  • maintain social contacts
  • take care of daily errands
  • maintain independence
  • create a daily structure
  • stay healthy

However, statistics show that in Austria, even in 2020, almost 550,000 people between the ages of 55 and 75 have never used the internet. As a society, it must therefore also be our obligation not to leave older people behind on the path of digitalisation, but to motivate and support them along the way.

Therefore, the association has made it its mission to promote the following:

  • digital education and counselling,
  • digital networking and
  • digital volunteering

The main pillars are:

  • Events (online and offline trainings, lectures, conversations)
  • Seniors’ portal

*Digital knowledge portal (training materials around smartphones, tablets and computer use from Austria, Germany and Switzerland).

Source: https://www.seniorenweb.org/

Access date: 13.05.2022

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