Belgian citizen movement fights for better future living conditions in older age
The “Gang des Vieux En colère” is a Belgian non-partisan and cross-party movement of citizens who want to ensure that future generations can age with dignity. The movement, which today has more than 10,000 members, seizes every opportunity to take to the streets and makes its voice heard, drawing attention on the growing social inequalities […]
LIFT – a voluntary transport service to tackle rural isolation in Ireland
In the Irish County of Kerry, a community has set up its own voluntary transport service in an effort to tackle rural isolation. The pilot scheme, called LIFT, uses volunteer drivers to help people visit neighbours, pubs and other social gatherings free of charge. Given the success of this first inititative, they are considering extending […]
Grand-parents worldwide get united for a sustainable planet
It is now scientifically proven that climate change will affect our whole world, our most essential resources, our way of life, our social relations and our security. In view of the urgent environmental challenges and the lack of adequate political response, older people across the world are getting mobilized to ensure a liveable planet for […]
Intergenerational housing program in Portugal
Aconchego is a intergenerational housing program implemented in Porto, a small city in the North of Portugal, in 2004, in order to combat older people’s loneliness and isolation, while providing accommodation for students. This programme is aimed to address two challenges in Porto: the city has university and higher education institutions which attract about 70.000 […]
Home Refurbishment Programme in Barcelona
The purpose of the Habitat Arrangement Programme is to support older people’s independent living at home and delay the need for institutionalisation. Developed in collaboration with the local authorities in the Barcelona province area, the programme provides supports to localities for carrying out refurbishment work in the homes of the most vulnerable older people, so […]
Accessible Cities in the EU
Every year the European Commission rewards Cities of over 50 000 inhabitants which work to become more accessible to their citizens. The Access City Awards recognise and celebrate the willingness, ability and efforts of European cities to become more accessible, in order to guarantee equal access to fundamental rights; improve the quality of life of […]
2018 Smart Ageing Prize awards 3 digital projects to combat old age isolation
The AAL 2018 Smart Ageing Prize focuses on the issue of social isolation and loneliness among older adults, rewarding digital technologies that facilitate real-world interactions to improve quality of life. During the AAL Forum in September 2018, the three winners of were announced, namely: KOMP : Launched by an Oslo-based start-up, KOM is a one-button […]
Labolobo, an intergenerational laboratory in Brussels
The non-profit association Labolobo is a set of social cohesion projects that aim to bring generations together in urban areas. It seeks to restore links between generations through workshops, conferences, meetings, art and creativity activities. The association presents itself as a social and artistic laboratory, while “lobo” means “wolf” in Spanish, a figure that crosses […]
Intergenerational care and nursery home in the UK
Nightingale House is an intergenerational care facility set up in September 2017 in Wandsworth, London (UK), which hosts a nursery and a care home on the same site. This allows the children and the older residents to interact on a daily basis and enables the care home to integrate intergenerational exchanges into the delivery of […]
A French city ‘lends’ pets to break old age isolation
Since October 2017, the city of Cambrai, in Northern France, has launched an innovative initiative to help break loneliness in old age: allowing older people to take a dog or a cat home without really adopting it. The older person may go to a shelter and choose among all the animals waiting for adoption, for […]
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 […]
Tubbemoddelen: Innovative participative management model in Swedish nursing homes
Allowing staff and residents to manage the nursing home together and giving older persons the feeling that it is their own home, this is the basic idea of the Tubbemoddelen, an innovative bottom-up management model originally set up in the nursing homes of the municipality of Tjörn, Sweden. Inspired by the vision of the Danish […]
Ireland involves local community on climate change & energy poverty
In Ireland, local community groups are leading the way in the area of reducing energy use and reutilizing energy, with groups such as Energy Action, Louth sustainable energy community and NCE. Projects have been developed to address two challenges: climate change and fuel poverty. The idea behind is to provide individual with objective information on […]
DUO for a JOB provides intergenerational career mentoring
‘When experience makes a difference’ DUO for a JOB brings together young jobseekers of migrant origin with persons aged 50 and over from the same professional sector, who will support them in their career plans. Once set up, the duets are supervised and accompanied by the association throughout the 6 months of mentoring. Through this […]
Dutch collective ‘generation pact’ between older and younger workers
The Dutch unions FNV and CNV have concluded a collective agreement with the health care provider Fokus, which includes a ‘generation pact’ allowing for working hours to be transferred from older to newer employees, while safeguarding pension rights. This agreement enables workers within four years before their retirement to reduce their working hours by 20% […]
The ‘Together Project’ promotes intergenerational exchanges in UK care homes
The Together Project is a UK program of intergenerational activities aimed to foster social inclusion and interactions in residential care homes. The project was founded by Louise Goulden while on maternity leave to bring young and old together, help reduce loneliness and have a positive impact on residents who have dementia. You can read an […]
Online platform brings together hosting families for older dependent persons in France
CetteFamille.com is a French online platform bringing together 2000 hosting families across the country. Those families host older dependent persons who have chosen to live within a family instead of in a nursing home. They have to meet a series of requirements set by the French departments. This type of accommodation is twice to three […]
‘Maison Dahlia’ showcases possible home accommodations in old age
The Dahlia house in the Havre, France, is an educational exhibition house that has been adapted to foster independent living and well-being in old age. When ageing, we become less flexible, the balance is less safe and the risk of falling increases. This demonstration site, set up by the Central Social Activities Fund (CCAS), allows […]
