IN-4-AHA’s fourth and last Focus Group held in Galicia (ES)

In May 2021, the Innovation Networks for Scaling Active and Healthy Ageing (IN-4-AHA) organized its first work package 4.2 activity in Galicia (ES). The event was organized by the Galician Health Cluster (CSG) and aimed to discuss the accessibility of technological solutions for active and healthy ageing. 

IN-4-AHA aims to develop technological solutions which are fit for purpose and aligned with people-centered technologies. All solutions should favor the well-being and quality of life of people, and must be accessible, affordable, and adapted to the target group. The well-being of people runs like a thread through the project and its outcomes.  

CSG carried out 3 Focus Groups involving people over 65, professionals from the social and health sector and relatives of elderly people, with the aim of finding out their opinions regarding the accessibility of technological solutions for ageing.

The fourth and last Focus Group, held on 24 May 2021, was attended by professionals from the CSG’s Living Lab network. The IN-4-AHA project was represented by Piret Hirv,Health Tech Manager at Tehnopol and IN-4-AHA’s project coordinator and WP3 leader, in charge of engagement stakeholder and Hille Hinsberg, Product Manager at Proud Engineers and WP5 leader, in charge of impact measurement indicators for the evaluation of the testing process in the IN-4-AHA project.

During the meeting, results of the previous Focus Groups were presented and a final decalogue of values was developed, which should serve as a guide and orientation for the design of people-centered technological solutions. 

Focus Groups make it possible to identify barriers and facilitators in the experiences of using the technological solutions. The outcomes of these meetings are crucial in the adoption of the innovative projects selected in the open call of IN-4-AHA. The solutions will be tested in the network of CSG Living Labs.  

Webinar: Senior Empowerment: adapting technologies to fit older populations

Register here

What European projects are enhancing the adoption of technologies for older populations? What are the struggles and successes felt in this regard?

This webinar wants to discuss ongoing projects working in the empowerment of senior or aging citizens through the introduction of new technologies and digital solutions. As always, we also want to address which gaps exist and which are the difficulties identified in scaling up these new solutions. Register here.

Date: May 28
Time: 15:00-16:00 (CET)

Agenda:

15:00-15:05 Introductory words by Elísio Costa , Porto4Ageing (University of Porto)

15:05-15:35 Projects/Institutions working in innovation or technology adoption.
Giuseppe Fico , Technical Manager at Gatekeeper project.
Niamh Redmond, Project Manager at the SHAPES project
Javier Ganzarain Co-founder, and CEO at AFEdemy.

15:35-16:00 Open discussion and Q&A.
Moderated by Gisela Garcia-Alvarez , Managing Director at Cluster Sáude Galicia, Kaija Villman-Alvarez, Project Manager at XAMK, and Cláudio Santos, Porto4Ageing (University of Porto).

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101017603.

Internal Consortium and Advisory Board workshop

The IN-4-AHA consortium organized its internal workshop on 11 May. For this occasion, the Advisory Board was invited to discuss the topic of stakeholder engagement and the overall participatory design process.

Valentina Tageo, member of the Advisory Board, joined the meeting to discuss methods and practices for the participatory design for digital AHA solutions. Additional presentations were given by Mireia Ferri, responsible for the co-creation process of the ValueCare project, and Nathalia Machedo, who works for Caritas Coimbra, a leading organisation of the ECHAlliance Portuguese ecosystem and responsible for the co-creation process design of several projects. 

The presentation of Valentina Tageo has been uploaded below. Would you like to get in touch with us and learn more about our work? Contact us or follow us on social media!

Survey to AHA-related service providers/innovators

Dear service provider!

Are you providing solutions (service, innovation, product) to people of 65+ to support active and healthy ageing? Would you like to reach a bigger impact with your service? Do you wish to share your good practice with peers?

The aim of this survey is to map current practices in measuring the impact of innovative solution. The information collected by the survey will be used to improve an evaluation framework for the active and healthy aging domain.

What is in it for you?

You will receive the aggregated results and contribute to better methods and tools for impact assessment.

We invite you to take the survey, if you answer yes to at least 2 of the following points:

  • your organization has developed an innovative solution for active and healthy ageing such as digital health or care solution;
  • the end users are seniors (65 years or older), formal or informal caregivers or other organizations providing solution to end users;
  • your service has been brought to market in at least one EU state, and you aim to scale it up and go outside your home market.

The Innovation Networks for Scaling Active and Healthy Ageing (IN-4-AHA) is a Coordination and Support Action funded under the EU Horizon 2020 programme. The EU-funded IN-4-AHA project will enhance the uptake of digital innovations in active and healthy ageing.

The deadline for submitting answers has been extended to May 20.

Access the survey here

Workshop: How to unlock the potential of stakeholders in active and healthy ageing participatory design process?

How to create an innovative solution that will excel in the market? Who to engage in the design process? How to engage? Which are the tools for stakeholder engagement?

On 21 April, the IN-4-AHA consortium organized the workshop “How to unlock the potential of stakeholders in active and healthy ageing participatory design process” to answer these specific questions. The virtual meeting was hosted to discuss best practices from the Unites States and Estonia on how to create and scale up successful products in the field of active and healthy ageing.

The event focused on the involvement of end-users and how stakeholders can be actively involved in the design process of novel solutions. The first presentation was given by Helen Kokk, UI/UX Expert and Graphic Designer (Estonia), who discussed specific case-studies on stakeholder engagement. Robert Schultz, Managing Director at Massnex (United States), informed the audience on his experiences on how to partner with the community and target group.