Bras Dessus Bras Dessous promotes solidarity among neighbours and older persons’ social inclusion
‘Bras Dessus Bras Dessous‘ is a network of citizens based on solidarity, currently in pilot phase in Forest (Brussels, Belgium). It aims at connecting isolated or vulnerable older persons with neighbours willing to dedicate some time and attention to them on a one-off or regular basis. The final goals are to: Reduce older residents’ loneliness […]
Wooln, a knitwear brand employing retired women in New York
In New York, the online knitwear brand Wooln, created by two young French entrepreneurs, sells wollen clothes and accessories knitted by retired older women. The initiative helps older women to increase their old age income while using fair trade and ecological materials. Read more: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wooln/wooln-hand-knits-by-ny-grandmothers?lang=fr https://www.wooln-ny.com/
Travelability promotes accessible tourism in Italy
Age is no obstacle for traveling! This is Travelability‘s slogan, a new tourist formula born in Italy to ensure that all those who have special needs and want to travel with confidence, can do so. Tourism excellence and specialists of personal services set up a partnership to allow everyone to enjoy the holiday they have […]
Amara platform provides free subtitles for more accessible videos
The Participatory Culture Foundation (PCF), a member of the Prosperity4All project along with AGE, developed a free open source platform for captions and subtitling. This new service named Amara aims at greater accessibility for videos. The Amara platform gathers a community of people that is invited to participate in captioning and translating community projects. It […]
‘BuurtPensioen-Pens(i)onsQuartier’ fosters exchanges of neighborhood services in Belgium
Buurtpension / Pens(i)onsQuartier seeks to bring into contact older persons and persons with a disability in need of some assistance – e.g. for shopping, for a lift or for some emotional support – with persons willing to help others in their neighborhoods. The service is based on reciprocity: participants commit to bringing mutual assistance and […]
New French label for ‘senior-friendly’ products
A new logo ‘Testé et approuvé par les Seniors’ (Tested and approved by seniors) has been created in France by AFNOR Certification to help identify user-friendly products that are designed to be used by everyone including people aged over 60. Tests are carried out in a real-life situation by a panel of older consumers (60+) […]
Locally funded driving classes for seniors
In France and Belgium, driving courses funded by municipalities or provinces are proposed to senior motorists over 65 willing to refresh or update their driving knowledge and practices. As they advance in age, some people may not feel so comfortable with driving. Road traffic has increased a lot over the last decades and car technology […]
Reading Rooms to foster older people’s social inclusion and mental health
The Verbal Arts Centre, in the UK established in 2013 ‘Reading Rooms’ aimed to improve people’s health and well-being through the literary arts. During Reading Rooms sessions, a short story or poem is read aloud by facilitators, who are all trained volunteers, or participants who are then encouraged to share ideas, thoughts and feelings. It […]
French Red Cross provide Alzheimer patients with bracelets for greater autonomy
The French Red Cross has just partnered with Bluelinea, an operator for connected lifestyle devices supporting dependent older persons in their homes, to provide persons with Alzheimer disease with a GPS bracelet which will enable them to move around more safely. The objective of this cooperation is to improve the autonomy and well-being of people […]
UK airport launches first dementia-friendly training programme
Heathrow Airport partners with the UK organization Alzheimer’s Society to provide better assistance to travelers with dementia. The UK airport has launched a programme to train its staff on how to help travelers suffering from cognitive decline. This will also include the 1050 members of the airport’s ‘Special assistance’ team. Thanks to this unique and […]
Intergenerational car sharing in France
‘Génération mobilité’ brings together older people who no longer feel comfortable when driving their own car with young people who need a car for their professional activities. The idea of the initiative is that the young person drives the senior whereever he wants and in return the senior lends his car to the young driver […]
‘Mijn Huis Op Maat’ helps older people adapt their home to live more independently
The Dutch initiative ‘Mijn Huis Op Maat’ offers a practical tool for awareness and information for older people on what improvements are possible in their own homes in order to leave independently for as long as they want. It is used by over 50 local authorities in the Netherlands and is meant to support local […]
‘Papy-foot’ – Intergenerational table football tournament in France
Prior to the Euro 2016 event a table football competition is being organised in retirement homes by the French association Tatane. The teams are made up of one senior and one young person. The objective is to create intergeneration interactions around a very popular sport and event and bring on board people who tend to […]
Shared ecological retirement housing in France
A group of pensioners have come together to set up the first housing cooperative for seniors based on democracy and ecology in Eastern Lyon, France. Seven years after their first discussions on the project, the building work has now started and should end around mid-2017. Because they did not want to end up in a […]
‘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) […]
Intergenerational digital learning sessions in Italy
How can we simplify our lives thanks to new ICT technology? In a few Italian cities, the protagonists of “Grandparents On-line, Everyone’s Young at the Post Office” explain it to senior citizens who wish to discover who to use public administration services that are available via computers, tablets and smartphones. The project is based on […]
New TOY project website promotes intergenerational initiatives between older people and young children
The Together Old and Young (TOY) project seized the occasion of the EU Day of Solidarity between Generations to launch it new website. TOY promotes bringing young children and older people together in providing news, resources and information on innovative intergenerational initiatives involving young children and older adults worldwide. It also offers an opportunity to […]
