AGE joins ambitious pan-European project for better long-term health & active ageing

The average life expectancy in countries in the European Union has increased. European citizens are living longer, but at the same time they may still face high risks of frailty, injury and long-term chronic illness. As traditional communities and family structures become more dispersed, older individuals face psychological and physical effects of isolation and loneliness, which negatively impact on their level of health and wellbeing.

The new EU-funded project SHAPES, kicked off at Maynooth University, Ireland, on 11-13 November 2019, aims at improving health, wellbeing, independence and autonomy of older individuals, while enhancing the long-term sustainability of health and care systems in Europe.

A range of solutions for independent living

The project involves more than 2000 individuals in 15 pilot sites across 10 EU Member States as well as several key stakeholders to develop a broad range of technical, organizational, clinical and educational solutions to support older people with permanently or temporarily reduced functionality and capabilities to be independent, healthy and active for longer.

Collecting data for more efficient and personalised care

Through an interoperable Platform, data on older individuals’ health and lifestyle will be collected to better identify older people’ needs and to provide personalised solutions. Such proposals not only aim at increasing efficiency gains in health and care delivery across Europe, but also to improve the quality of life of older individuals, their families, caregivers and care service providers.

About AGE involvement

As partner of this four years project, AGE will be responsible to empower older individuals and caregivers to play a more active role in health and care decision-making, so as to improve the overall quality of care, efficiency and health outcomes. AGE will also develop policy-making guidelines for supporting management and delivery of health and care services in a care continuum which reflects individuals’ needs over time and across different level of the health and care system to ensure optimal health and care outcomes.

Know more about SHAPES project

The SHAPES project team