(Un)obvious Education, or Complexities of the Polish Education Aimed at Older People

The contemporary combination of information infrastructure with the commonly experienced transformation of knowledge created, in relation to education especially for older adults, an entirely new area of activeness. In accordance with the social awareness, education became an accessible good regardless of age. In this context, the maximal extending of the potential group of education receivers means, on the one hand, meeting the real social expectations towards so-called educational services. On the other hand, it is another challenge which the contemporary education faces. Unfortunately, the system of permanent education was not created in Poland since what is missing is both the strategy and some practical resolutions enabling old people the access to education with regards to their educational. Presently, the University of the Third Age is the only solution in the educational offer. In order to change the present status quo, what is needed is the re-definition of education and the modern perception of education and then perhaps, there will appear, the expected, by the senior citizens, module educational solutions providing them not only with the competencies but also the acknowledged certificate confirming their knowledge

Include 2011 : The role of inclusive design in making social innovation happen.

Include is the biennial conference held at the RCA and hosted by the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design. The event is directed by Jo-Anne Bichard and attracts an international delegation

Intergenerational Education for Social Inclusion and Solidarity: The Case Study of the EU Funded Project "Connecting Generations"

This paper reflects on lessons learned from a validated model of international collaboration based on research and practice. During the European Year for Active Ageing, a partnership of seven organizations from the European Union plus Turkey implemented the Lifelong Learning Programme partnership “Connecting Generations‘ which involved universities, non-governmental organizations, third age Universities and municipalities in collaboration with local communities. Reckoning that Europe has dramatically changed in its demographic composition and is facing brand new challenges regarding intergenerational and intercultural solidarity, each partner formulated and tested innovative and creative practices that could enhance better collaboration and mutual understanding between youth and senior citizens, toward a more inclusive Europe for all. Several innovative local practices have experimented, attentively systematized and peer-valuated among the partners. On the basis of a shared theoretical framework coherent with EU and Europe and Training 2020 Strategy, an action-research approach was adopted throughout the project in order to understand common features that have been replicated and scaled up since today

Coming of age

Copyright at Demos 2011. This work is made available under the terms of the Demos licence.Britain’s ageing population is often described as a demographic time-bomb. As a society we often view ageing as a ‘problem’ which must be ‘managed’ – how to cope with the pressure on national health services of growing numbers of older people, the cost of sustaining them with pensions and social care, and the effect on families and housing needs. But ageing is not a policy problem to be solved. Instead it is a normal part of life, which varies according to personal characteristics, experience and outlook, and for many people growing older can be a very positive experience. Drawing on the Mass Observation project, one of the longest-running longitudinal life-writing projects anywhere in the world, Coming of Age grounds public policy in people’s real, lived experiences of ageing. It finds that the experience of ageing is changing, so that most people who are now reaching retirement do not identify themselves as old. One-size-fits-all policy approaches that treat older people as if they are all alike are alienating and inappropriate. Instead, older people need inclusive policy approaches that enable them to live their lives on their own terms. To ensure that older people are actively engaged, policy makers should stop emphasising the costs posed by an ageing population and start building on the many positive contributions that older people already make to our society.The Research Support and Development Office (RSDO) at Brunel University and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC

The elderly and the digital inclusion: A brief reference to the initiatives of the European union and Portugal

Background: The world and Europe, in particular, are aging very fast, and in the same vein, digitization is moving very quickly into citizens’ routines. Given the fact that the elderly are the largest group of citizens who are info-excluded, this reality is worrying because it will quickly make them socially excluded. This article briefly presents the main initiatives of the European Union and Portugal to promote greater and faster digital inclusion of the elderly people. In the final section, there is a critical reflection on technology acceptance Model, the concept of universal design and usability in order to propose clues and strategies that can and/or may facilitate the use and access of technologies and digital resources by the elderly.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Unmet goals of tracking: within-track heterogeneity of students' expectations for

Educational systems are often characterized by some form(s) of ability grouping, like tracking. Although substantial variation in the implementation of these practices exists, it is always the aim to improve teaching efficiency by creating homogeneous groups of students in terms of capabilities and performances as well as expected pathways. If students’ expected pathways (university, graduate school, or working) are in line with the goals of tracking, one might presume that these expectations are rather homogeneous within tracks and heterogeneous between tracks. In Flanders (the northern region of Belgium), the educational system consists of four tracks. Many students start out in the most prestigious, academic track. If they fail to gain the necessary credentials, they move to the less esteemed technical and vocational tracks. Therefore, the educational system has been called a 'cascade system'. We presume that this cascade system creates homogeneous expectations in the academic track, though heterogeneous expectations in the technical and vocational tracks. We use data from the International Study of City Youth (ISCY), gathered during the 2013-2014 school year from 2354 pupils of the tenth grade across 30 secondary schools in the city of Ghent, Flanders. Preliminary results suggest that the technical and vocational tracks show more heterogeneity in student’s expectations than the academic track. If tracking does not fulfill the desired goals in some tracks, tracking practices should be questioned as tracking occurs along social and ethnic lines, causing social inequality

An innovative approach for health care delivery to obese patients: from health needs identification to service integration

In Europe, more than half of the population is overweight or obese, and effort to design, validate, and implement innovative approaches is required to address social and health unmet needs of obese patients in terms of health promotion, disease prevention, and integration of services. The challenge is improving the collaboration between the different health and care stakeholders involved in the lives of obese patients, changing the socio-cultural attitude towards food intake and other behaviours leading to a negative impact on their health-related quality of life. The digital transformation of health and care can support changes in healthcare systems, healthy policy, and approaches to patient care and better implementation of the different health promotion and disease prevention strategies between all the stakeholders and support obese patients. Based on the previously experience adopted by Blueprint Partners with the Blueprint persona and user scenario in the context of models of care and prevention, health policies and analysis of risk factors affecting health and quality of life of obese subjects, the study aimed to simulate an integrated care pathway, through a multidisciplinary approach, developing and applying solutions and good clinical practices addressing the social and health unmet needs of obese patients. A pilot study assessed the quality of life (QoL), adherence to the Mediterranean diet, efficacy and interoperability of a digital health platform, Paginemediche. it. A qualitative approach has been adopted to identify and specify key digital solutions and high-impact user scenarios in Active and Healthy Ageing (AHA). To achieve a successful result, an iterative and collaborative approach has been followed to develop a user-centred perspective to the identification of solutions addressing health needs with different complexity along the entire life-course. Four initial key topic areas were chosen and used to identify different digital solutions that may meet the needs of the population segments defined by both age and the complexity of their health status. All data, derived from the industry representatives in the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP on AHA), were collected via a survey to how digital solutions best met the needs of the various population segments represented by personas. Subsequently, innovative solutions were designed based on how a user from a target group interacts with technologies, developing "personas" belonging to specific "population segments" with different conditions and needs. Then, a high-impact user scenario, based on the correlation of personas' needs, good clinical practices and digital solutions available targeting needs which playing a role in the health and care delivery for the persona, has been developed. In the end, to evaluate how digital solutions and technologies can support obese patients during their weight loss or management of their related comorbidities in current service provision, ten obese patients were enrolled to evaluate a Digital Health platform, pagininemediche.it, developed. Matilde, the Blueprint persona developed, highlighted some of the main needs (social support, development of a health-friendly environment and educational program on healthy nutrition and physical activity) that may be addressed by integrating innovative solutions in the care of obese patients. Based on her profile, a high-impact user scenario diagram correlates health and social needs with digital solutions and can help key actors in the creation of a well-integrated care approach. Moreover, the evaluation of the digital platform, paginemediche.it, demonstrated how digital solutions can motivate and support obese patients in changing habits towards a healthy lifestyle, although no further statistical significance has been identified in the quality of life assessment because of the limited number of the patients, and short period of observation. Overweight or obese patients tend to be marginalized and the subject of a real social stigma. Digital solutions may be useful to overcome psychological factors that prevent obese patients from starting their journey for a lifestyle change. The suggested approach, which considers health needs, IT skills, socioeconomic context, interoperability, and integration gaps that may influence the adoption of innovative solutions tailored to improve health outcomes is person-centred, and identify what is important for obese patients. The implementation of a persona and user scenario approach may also be useful for the early involvement of end-users in solutions' design and adaptation, increasing adherence, and the effectiveness of digital solutions. Persona profiles, the user scenario, and the related digital solution also consider the potential benefits that can derive for both patients and health system in term of reduced emergency room admissions, waiting lists, and health related expenditures

The future of work: Towards a progressive agenda for all. EPC Issue Paper 9 DECEMBER 2019

Europe’s labour markets and the world of work in general are being transformed by the megatrends of globalisation, the fragmentation of the production and value chain, demographic ageing, new societal aspirations and the digitalisation of the economy. This Issue Paper presents the findings and policy recommendations of “The future of work – Towards a progressive agenda for all”, a European Policy Centre research project. Its main objectives were to expand public knowledge about these profound changes and to reverse the negative narrative often associated with this topic. It aimed to show how human decisions and the right policies can mitigate upcoming disruptions and provide European and national policymakers with a comprehensive toolkit for a progressive agenda for the new world of work