Fall prevention experts foster health of care home residents in Belgium
Falls in residential care centres often have serious physical – bruises or fractures – and psychological consequences – such as social isolation, depression and fear of falling. They also entail additional care costs. This is why it is important that residential care centres work preventively on fall prevention. In Belgium, residential care centres can get […]
Help us in gathering information for World Suicide Prevention Day – Survey deadline September 3rd
10 September will mark World Suicide Prevention Day. AGE has partnered with GAMIAN-Europe, an EU network working on mental health and marking this day every year, to put a spotlight on suicidality among older persons. The reason is that despite an overall decline in suicide rates over the last decades in the EU, this decline […]
‘HealthStart’: a co-designed volunteer-led health coaching programme for older adults
The ‘HealthStart project is a partnership between the Singapore General hospital and the local NGO TRIGEN. It is a community-based programme aimed to improve the health and well-being of older people in Singapore by improving their health literacy and lifestyle via the adoption of digital technology. Young volunteers are recruited and trained to make monthly […]
Non-profit organisation provides free medicines for nursing homes in Greece
Living almost a year into the covid-19 pandemic, we valued health better than ever. We have all recognized not only the need for access to health at national and global level, but also the need to support those most affected, including older people, our grandparents. Nevertheless, in Greece, every year, it is estimated that 34.000.000 […]
National online platform supports health care & prevention in Sweden
1177 Vårdguiden is Sweden’s online national platform bringing together information and services in relation to health and care across all regions. After logging in to 1177.se (using their bank ID), Swedes can access their medical record, personal e-services and thousands of resources dealing with medical conditions, examinations and treatments. The site also offers films, illustrations […]
New mobile application to detect Covid 19 in Catalonia
StopCovid19Cat is a new application for mobile devices that will monitor the evolution of the coronavirus pandemic in Catalonia. The new technology tool will help detect the disease, track patients, see how the pandemic is evolving, and encourage better decision-making. Citizens can download the app and, after a short accreditation process, monitor their health without […]
YouTube video keeps Japan’s seniors in shape during Covid-19 confinement
Not spared by the spread of Covid-19, Japan, like many other countries worldwide, has taken confinement measures to help stop the further transmission of the virus. The situation is all the more serious as older people are particularly vulnerable to the effect of the disease and Japan has the world’s oldest population, with more than […]
Improv theatre to treat Alzheimer’s patients
For seven years, two public social assistance centres (the CPAS and the Centre d’Action Laïque) in the Belgian city of Charleroi have been developing improvisation shows for people with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. This non-drug treatment allows patients with mental diseases to come out of their isolation and express themselves freely, without fear of being […]
‘Fit & Mobile 77+’: sport training programme for retirement home residents in Austria
‘Fit & Mobile 77’ is a specific physical training programme to improve older people’s endurance and balance, set up by the retirement home group SeneCura in Vienna, Austria. The programme is one of the winners of the ORPEA Excellence Awards celebrated in Paris in January 2017. Implemented in 15 retirement homes in Austria, this programme […]
Sport prescribed to frail seniors in Strasbourg, France
The French city of Strasbourg offers sport classes to frail older persons as part of a sport & health prescription programme set up by the municipality in 2012. Doctors can prescribe sport lessons adapted to the patients’ conditions in order to prevent falls and loss of autonomy. A dedicated sport-health team will then advise the […]
Activ84Health promotes entertaining indoor cycling in Belgian nursing homes
“Activ84Health” is a virtual simulation system aimed at promoting indoor physical exercises while stimulating memories. It allows the user to virtually explore towns and the countryside while cycling on a stationary bike. You can virtually travel to any place available on Google Street View and also select a predefined route with automatic navigation. Each user […]
‘Healthy New Towns’ programme promotes healthy and independent ageing in the UK
The UK government has announced the building of 10 new ‘healthy towns’ designed to address ageing and health issues such as obesity. Those towns, which will be the ‘pilot sites’ of the Healthy New Towns programme supported by the National Health Service (NHS) in England, would encourage people to exercise more, eat better and live […]
Outdoor gym for older people
Oudoor playgrounds for seniors have been developed in cities around the world to promote physical activities and health in old age. It also help combat loneliness and foster social inclusion. They can also be multi-generational and encourage interactions among generations. More information: Article from the Guardian ‘Playgrounds for Seniors Are Gaining Popularity in America’ (mental_floss) […]
EU compilation of good practices to prevent decline in old age
This publication describesthe work being undertaken by partners of the Action Group “Prevention and early diagnosis of frailty and functional decline, both physical and cognitive, in older people” of the European Partnership an Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP AHA). It explained what the Action Group is about, its main areas of work and focuses on […]
Icons to raise patients’ attention on the use of medication in the Netherlands
In order to facilitate the access to essential information on the proper use of medicines, Dutch pharmacists are proposing a list of icons highlighting key instructions for use. Those pictogrammes feature basic instructions related to the way a medicine should be taken or stored, or to the effect it has on the patient: e.g. medicine […]
Online questionnaire helps identify appropriate housing support in old age
Following a survey carried out at European level on the various accommodation possibilities in old age, a Belgian Engineer-Architect developed a series of questions aimed to help identify the type of housing assistance that would best suit an older person and enable him/her to remain independent as long as possible. The 88 solutions registered include […]
Dance classes to address dementia in Germany
„Wir tanzen wider” („Wir dance again”) is a German-wide initiative aiming to improve the lives of people living with dementia through dance classes. The idea is to offer them a place to meet, exchange and have fun together while at the same time improving their physical and mental conditions. The specificity of this initiative is […]
‘My healthy family’ project encourages older poeple in Hungary and Poland to to eat more fruit and vegetables
Officilally launched in September 2014, ‘My healthy family‘ is an EU Project, which seeks to promote the consumption of fruit and vegetables among children, older people and pregnant women in Hungary and Poland. The idea is to get people and family members to truly enjoy the tastes, textures and colours of fresh fruit and vegetables. […]
