INTERACTIVE WORKSHOPS AT THE FORUM: THEME 2

The AAL Forum 2019 is now just seven weeks away, and today we will be giving you another taster of some of the interactive workshops that will be taking place over the course of the event.

As the format of the AAL Forum has evolved over the last decade, its emphasis on interactivity has increased. The workshops that are held each year represent the pinnacle of this focus on sharing knowledge, best practice and experiences, and this year’s selection of sessions promises to be one of the best we’ve ever put together.

Over the coming weeks, we’ll be talking you through the workshops that we have organised for the AAL Forum 2019, which have been grouped together according to theme.

This week we are taking a look at the workshops that address our second theme,  “Age-friendly societies – How do we foster age-friendly environments and communities?”.

WORKSHOP → Towards an ecosystem approach for ageing well in a digital Europe

📅 Tuesday 24 September

⏲ 9:00-10:30

While there is an increasing number of technical solutions available in the growing ageing market coupled with a slow shift of consciousness about the opportunities of ageing, there are still numerous challenges to tackle.

To provide digital-based solutions suitable for everyday use, deeper and broader forms of cooperation between the different actors will be required. There is no magic cooperation formula for business, research and policymakers to work together with civil society and the concerned citizens (older people and the people supporting them like family, friends, neighbourhood or professional carers). Yet without it, the shift of mindsets, the development of widened consciousness about demographic change and the required accompanying systems, processes and roles will remain unachieved.

AAL’s current work on preparing a future European partnership programme aims to introduce an ecosystem learning, development & cooperation approach for ageing well in an increasingly digital world. This ecosystem innovation approach will be based on a deep sensing of the most critical issues emerging from AAL stakeholders, in order to be able to prototype future service offerings to be tested and upscaled. Achieving tangible impact for European citizens is the key driver for this bottom-up innovation process.

The move towards an eco-system approach for ageing well at European level requires the development of a prototypical process, in order to mobilize concerned people/civil society, make them participate and provide them with co-ownership of specific and jointly developed solutions. This workshop aims to come up with first building blocks for such a co-creative prototype and mobilise the participants of the workshop to take further action and continue this prototype development process. 

Find out more — Workshop 3 

WORKSHOP → Smart Healthy Age Friendly Environments and the Blueprint for digital transformation of Health and Care (joint session AAL/EIP on AHA)

📅Tuesday 24 September

⏲ 11:00-12:30

The objectives of this workshop are to discuss the Joint Statement on Smart Healthy Age-Friendly Environments (SHAFE), to take next steps towards the creation of a White Paper on SHAFE, and to further develop the Blueprint scenarios (developed within the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing) to include Smart Healthy Age-Friendly Environments topics and to widen the Blueprint community.

The specific aim of SHAFE is to enhance the two main aspects of Age-Friendly Environments – places and people – in the creation of eHealth and mHealth solutions – especially focused on quality and costs. These smart living environments need to align technological development with the building industry in terms of policy and funding, in order to make smart homes available, affordable and large-scaled in Europe.
This broad adoption may be the keystone to a more efficient health care system that adds better quality for less investment, in line with the Digital Single Market strategy.

The European “Blueprint on Digital Transformation of Health and Care for the Ageing Society ” reflects the common policy vision of European policymakers, civil society, professional organisations and industry. As a shared policy vision, the Blueprint guides the efforts of the EIP on AHA Action Groups and Reference Sites.

The Blueprint is essential to mobilize investments and guarantee the commitment of all actors including industrial players, regional authorities, professional and civil society organisations and multi-stakeholder platforms.

Find out more — Workshop 8

WORKSHOP → Regional innovation scaling-up (joint session AAL/EIP on AHA)

📅Tuesday 24 September
⏲ 16:00-17:30

The EIP on AHA is one of the largest initiatives supported by the EC stimulating the transformation of an ageing society into an opportunity for sustainable development.

Among its major achievements is the paradigmatic shift in considering public health as an investment rather than merely a cost. This has been paralleled by huge efforts in the implementation of a proactive approach to prevent disease and promote health, embedded into a general change in the culture of health.

A shared vision has been translated into actionable plans (Blueprint, I2M, AGs Aps), being implemented and monitored (MAFEIP) every day.

An empowered, mobile citizen is now at the centre of our services, which thanks to the availability of interoperable solutions and cross-border regulations are more and more effective and integrated.

The main objective of the workshop session is to share the results achieved so far by partners, at the local, regional, national and international levels that can be further scaled up and hence can inform and direct future investments by the identification of enablers/facilitators and bottlenecks/blockers.

Another important objective consists of engaging a broader community of possible stakeholders through the AAL to interchange ideas and work together in efficient and sustainable solutions for the future.

Find out more — Workshop 14 

WORKSHOP → Democratisation of the Internet of Things. Off-the-shelf technology tailored for everyone 

📅 Wednesday 25 September

⏲9:00-10:30

All over Europe, smart age-friendly environments are a well-established concept and the introduction of accessible IoT appliances offers an opportunity to empower senior citizens. This workshop will attempt to demystify the use of off-the-shelf IoT appliances for smart age-friendly environments by considering the choice between open and closed solutions and some of the consequences of that choice for end-users.

In this collaborative session, participants can connect with other expert stakeholders and stimulate creative thinking through practical examples using popular IoT-based appliances and services. They will also develop awareness of how to enable older adults to design their own smart age-friendly environments.

Find out more — Workshop 22

WORKSHOP → Computer games for seniors and their relatives: A playful approach to social well-being

📅 Wednesday 25 September

⏲14:00-15:30

Playing games with older people can be fun. It can facilitate communication between people belonging to different generations. Digital games can enhance social inclusion, prevent loneliness, and give caretakers, relatives and volunteers a tool that can be used to spend some entertaining time together. But many existing games are not suitable for older people. They are too finely grained, too fast or just too complex. More importantly, there is no game that suits everyone. Individual preferences, physical limitations and mental capabilities influence the type of games people prefer to play.

In this workshop, you will be part of a small group that will conceptualise a new computer game that is appealing to older people yet fun for younger ones. All work will be done on paper. Therefore, there are no prerequisite skills needed for participation. We aim to attract people from as many disciplines, nationalities and age groups as possible.

Find out more — Workshop 31