List of initiatives and actions across Europe to promote the European Year 2012

European Union

• EFID awards ten European projects aiming to support people with dementia

In the framework of the European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations 2012, European Foundations’ Initiative on Dementia (EFID) together with Alzheimer Europe, the Council of European Municipalities and Regions, the European Volunteer Center and other partners at the national level, launches the European Awards:  “Living well with Dementia in the Community”. This call is a follow up initiative of the European Foundations after the European Conference  'Improving the quality of life of people with dementia- A challenge for European society' last year (25/26 November 2010) in Brussels, organised on behalf of the Belgian Presidency of EU.  A group of foundations, composed of The Atlantic Philanthropies, the Fondation Médéric Alzheimer, the King Baudouin Foundation and the Robert Bosch Stiftung, join forces to launch the ‘Living well with Dementia in the Community - European Foundations’ Initiative on Dementia-Awards’ in order to improve perceptions of dementia and to stimulate solidarity at the local level. The overarching aim of the Initiative is to contribute to a better quality of life for people with dementia and their carers in Europe.

Mise à jour le Mardi, 08 Mai 2012 16:04

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Independent living

The Eldy Association is an Italian, non-profit organization looking to make it easier for new computer users to learn about email, browsing the web and more. According to their website, the Association’s goal is to reach out to the elderly and disabled communities with a simple computer program that can encourage their staying active and social, thus reducing their isolation and loneliness.

The resulting computer program that the Eldy Association came up with is also called Eldy, a bundle of essential programs in a easy-to-understand interface for the elderly, with big text and simple, recognizable icons, that has been translated to 22 languages. Think of it as a blown-up mini-operating system that contains an email client, chat system, web browser and even access to a simplified version of Notepad, Eldy TV, and Skype.

For more information, please visit Eldy’s website (www.eldy.eu) or contact Cette adresse email est protégée contre les robots des spammeurs, vous devez activer Javascript pour la voir. .

Brighter Futures – Supporting Later Life

Brighter Futures is a pilot peer mentoring service for isolated older people run by the Mental Health  foundation in Scotland. They aim to significantly improve the quality of life of isolated older people, enhance their social networks, improve their mental health and enable them to participate in meaningful activity. Volunteers use their skills and experience to help an older person become more actively involved in their community. 

Mise à jour le Lundi, 05 Septembre 2011 09:35

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Active Ageing in employment

NoAgeSite

The European Social Fund and the Ministry of Labor in Luxembourg have selected the  NoAgeSite project for its proposal to introduce a dashboard to promote age diversity in companies.  Such a dashboard will help HRM to follow the career of older workers and make them aware of the necessity to give older applicants a chance to reenter the labor market as well, since statistics and studies all around the world have shown that older jobless have less chance to find a job again.

For full text, please click here.

For more information, please contact Marie Therese von Rohr-Truong at  Cette adresse email est protégée contre les robots des spammeurs, vous devez activer Javascript pour la voir. or visit: http://www.noagesite.com/

ReACT (Respect A Caregiver’s Time)

ReACT (Respect A Caregiver’s Time) is a coalition of employers which aims at addressing the challenges faced by employee caregivers and the companies that employ them. In particular, the network focuses on careers forwith age-related chronic conditions and reducing the impact on the companies that employ them.  A lot of important companies joined the coalition (e.g. Pfizer, Johnson &Johnson and Gallop).

ReACT seeks to create a working environment where the needs of caregivers for people with chronic illness are taken into account. This makes caregivers feel supported. It also gives them the resources to better meet their personal and professional responsibilities.

More information will be  available asap.

Mise à jour le Jeudi, 03 Mai 2012 11:33

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Best Practice in the Field of Intergenerational Solidarity

  European Senior Travellers

 

The European Commission, as well as INATEL, SEGITTUR, and the Ministry of Sport and Tourism – Poland, have developed a project called “European Senior Travellers,” which aims to encourage the exchange of senior citizens between Portugal, Spain, and Poland.  This trial project will serve as a way to analyze the possibilities for a more comprehensive transnational seniors exchange program between seniors in all EU member states.  Such research and promotion of intercultural exchange through tourism is a great way to encourage safe travel for seniors by tailoring it to their specific needs, and, therefore allowing them the mobility and freedom to explore Europe and meet other seniors from all different countries.

For more information about European Senior Travellers, please visit http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/tourism/files/calypso/est_project_summary_final_en.pdf

 

Linking Lives

Help Age International has developed the “Linking Lives” project, which is a part of a new campaign to increase communication between peoples around the world to address the subject of older peoples’ rights.  Linking Lives has a website where people from around the world can upload videos with personal comments and relevant stories, therefore creating an international and intergenerational video dialogue.  In this way, older people from the Czech Republic can “meet” and converse with Josaphine, an older woman from Nairobi, for example.  Linking Lives, therefore, provides a unique opportunity to discuss older peoples’ rights with perspectives from around the world and allows older people to share their stories and to be heard.

For more information about Linking Lives, please visit http://www.helpage.org/get-involved/meet-the-activists/josephine-napkonde/

 

Germany's Older Generations Take Up Graffiti

In Germany, many seniors have the opportunity to be creative and interact with others in an unconventional way – through graffiti classes.  Graffiti classes for seniors are now gaining popularity and aid in the promotion of intergenerational solidarity and active ageing.  In their classes, seniors and young people have the opportunity to paint graffiti alongside each other, which allows for intergenerational exchange through social interaction.  The classes also promote increased community involvement for seniors. 

For more information, please visit http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,778978,00.html

 

Meeting Places for Everyone

The project Meeting Places for Everyone is being led by Sveriges Makalösa Föräldrar, a Swedish NGO for single parents. The goal of this project is to promote intergenerational solidarity by creating a medium through which single-parent families can meet and form friendships with people who are 60 years or older.  There will be several events throughout the year 2012 that provide a way for relationships to form between generations in a natural and positive way.  On activity days groups of single parents and their children will be paired with persons over 60 and they will then be provided with a full day of activities and experiences.

At least three activities will be planned with at least 30 single parents and their children and 30 persons over 60 years old.  The organization will then develop a method strategy which will be distributed to other NGO’s as well as government organisations.  Sveriges Makalösa Föräldrar will also create a method booklet on how solidarity and cooperation can be developed between generations based on experiences and insights drawn from the activities.

For more information please contact: Sophia Lövgren at Cette adresse email est protégée contre les robots des spammeurs, vous devez activer Javascript pour la voir.

Or visit: www.makalosa.org

Learn with Grandma 

In recent years, grandparents have been playing a much larger role in the caretaking of their grandchildren.  On the other hand, there are also many grandparents who now live much farther from their grandchildren.  This organisation aims to promote relationships between grandparents and grandchildren who live close together as well as far apart.   

Their aims are to:  

1.      Encourage grandparents to create lasting memories and have fun with their grandchildren as well as instil a love of learning 

2.      Encourage respect between the generations by showing each generation what the other has to teach them 

3.      Encourage seniors to learn technological skill from their younger generations and for seniors to teach more traditional skills to their children and grandchildren.  

4.      Create local and internet support networks for grandparents, parents and children.  

5.      To discover educational, fun activites and resources that grandparents can enjoy with their grandchildren 

6.      To work with other organisations to promote these aims internationally 

 To learn more, please visit: www.learnwithgrandma.org

Mise à jour le Jeudi, 23 Février 2012 16:47

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Cross-border relationship

 

Winner in a German competition / Robert-Bosch-Stiftung:

 

Retelling life stories: exchange programme involving young and older people from France and Germany (carried out by Parkwohnstift of Arnstorf, Germany, and ViTaCiTé of Massy, France)

End of 2009, German and French young people met older rest-home residents, first in France and then in Germany, and collect their stories on the change in their living conditions and the development of technologies that they have experienced (and are experiencing) throughout their past and present life. Those 'life stories' will then be completed with video recordings and pictures made by the young German and French participants. Every stay will end up with a small celebration bringing together all generations.

Mise à jour le Jeudi, 09 Juin 2011 13:20

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Vieillissement Actif

PROJET : TRAMP - Mobilité transnationale des seniors

Le but de ce projet est de simplifier l’accès à l’Europe des personnes ne maîtrisant pas les langues étrangères et de faciliter la mobilité transnationale des seniors au sein de l’Europe.

L’approche du programme ENEA (programme de la Commission européenne sur la mobilité des seniors) concerne les échanges internationaux visant à promouvoir l’implication active de seniors bénévoles pour des travaux de nature artisanale d’intérêt général, et met l’accent plus spécialement sur le dialogue transnational dans les équipes projets.

Mise à jour le Jeudi, 21 Avril 2011 10:49

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Inclusion Sociale

L’association Réseau InterGénération Via Internet (RIGVI71) propose aux adhérents des formations à l’informatique. Il développe également des réseaux sociaux autour de chaque adhérent (vis-à-vis de sa famille et de ses amis).
Les adhérents apprennent l’informatique grâce à une approche dite « par petits pas ». Après quelques mois, presque tous les participants savent envoyer des dossiers attachés, alléger le poids des photos, réaliser des cartes personnalisées, faire des recherches compliquées sur Internet. Certains se dirigent vers l’utilisation d’excel, vers la réalisation de clips vidéo, vers la participation de forums de discussion sur le site de leur partenaire RIAQ (Réseau d’Information des Aînés du Quebec).

 

Pour plus d'informations, s'il vous plaît cliquez ici.

Mise à jour le Jeudi, 09 Juin 2011 13:27

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Santé

Le Baluchon Alzheimer: une idée partie du Canada et qui essaime en Europe

Les familles souhaitent en général garder leur procheatteint de la maladie d’Alzheimer le plus longtemps possible à domicile. Divers services de répit comme les centres de jour ou encore, le gardiennage de quelques heures existent déjà depuis plusieurs années.Cependant, lorsque les aidants ressentent le besoin d’un repos physique et psychologique de quelquesjours, le seul service qui leur soit offert est celui de l’hébergement temporaire, fourni majoritairement par des centres de soins de longue durée, une solution très perturbante pour les personnes atteintes de la maladies d’Alzheimer.

Mise à jour le Jeudi, 09 Juin 2011 13:30

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