Europe’s digital decade presents a vision and avenues for Europe’s digital transformation by 2030 based on skills, infrastructures, business and government. With its rights and principles putting people at the centre of the digital transformation, it provides the basis for the EU-funded project SHAPES – Smart & Healthy Ageing through People Engaging in Supportive Systems – to fully exploit the opportunities the project can provide to older people and people with disabilities.
On 5 September 2023, during an event in the European Parliament, SHAPES was showcased as a resource that Members of the European Parliament can use to support their constituents in terms of equalisation of opportunities for digital access and technology in health and care. SHAPES solutions and results were presented, including the project’s smart mirror and the policy guidelines for person-centred integrated care.
Tailoring care to individual needs
The policy guidelines were presented by Ilenia Gheno, AGE Project Manager. With the aim of designing and delivering health and social care tailored on the individuals’ needs and adapting over time and across different levels of the health and care system, the SHAPES policy guidelines are anchored on a human-rights based approach to ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights by all people. Derived from this approach and in line with the work of the World Health Organisation (WHO), policy guidelines have been drawn for European policy makers to work on governance, legislation, ethics and standards, finances, monitoring and reviewing, workforce, and research for integrated person-centred health and care.
A short version of the policy guidelines can be found here.
Growing MEP engagement
Over 20 Members of the European Parliament expressed interest in the project beforehand and in addition to the host Sirpa Pietikäinen (Finland), Tomislav Sokol (Croatia), Radka Maxova (Czechia), Istvan Ujhelyi (Hungary), Josianne Cutajar (Malta), Grace O’Sullivan (Ireland), and Ciara Barry, representing Chris MacManus (Ireland) office were eventually able to attend the engagement event. MEPs engaged with questions and comments on the SHAPES results, the European Health Data Space, how to continue to collaborate on policy, and tried out the smart mirror for themselves.
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