Smart Healthy Age-Friendly Environments - funding models and best practices

Abstract

If people should age at their own homes, how to align technological development with the building industry for smart environments in terms of POLICY and FUNDING, enhancing a more efficient health care system that may add better quality for less investment? Moving age-related topics to the big umbrella themes of Health and Digital Single Market is a vital process to pursue the societal scope of a Europe prepared to provide quality of life and well-being through the whole life cycle. The revitalization of Active and Healthy Ageing initiatives (preparing post2020) will imply high-level crossover discussion between different groups, networks, DGs, EIPs and even international organisations, understanding the symbiotic interdependence of these subjects towards a Healthy and Competitive Europe. The Thematic Network Smart Healthy Age-Friendly Environments, and approved by the European Commission for 2018, aims to create a high-level policy alignment of all these networks and initiatives towards Health in Ageing subjects. SHAFE is coordinated by Cáritas Coimbra and AFEdemy, in close cooperation with main partners, such as the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP-AHA), European Innovation Partnership on Smart Cities and Communities (EIP-SCC), Reference Sites Collaborative Network, European Covenant on Demographic Change, Eurocities, European Construction, Built Environment and Energy Efficient Building Technology Platform (ECTP), European Centre Social Welfare Policy, European Health Telematics Association (EHTEL) and ECHAlliance. SHAFE is producing a Joint Statement 2018 that summarizes a common position on Smart Healthy Age-friendly Environments – focused on eHealth and mHealth – with priorities for policy making and recommendations for the European Commission and the Member States also thinking beyond 2020. For this purpose, the Thematic Network developed a comprehensive desk-research, an Europe-wide online survey collecting more than 80 contributions and 37 interviews to EU opinion leaders. This work led to 5 areas of recommendations: - INTEGRATIVE APPROACH - Create a shared European Vision on Smart Healthy Age-Friendly Environments - GOVERNANCE AND COORDINATION - Ensure cross-sectoral cooperation - FUNDING, ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS MODELS - Fund the implementation of Smart Healthy Age-Friendly Environments - LEARNING AND KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT - Invest in research that derives from societal needs and challenges and use knowledge to prediction and prevention - COMMUNICATION, PEOPLE AND SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Guarantee the empowerment of citizens and the promotion of people-centered policies and measures This presentation intends to share the main recommendations that derived from the funding, economics and business models area, especially on integrated solutions with health, social care, digital tools and infrastrucutres. The workshop would present the results to the audience and then create a working session to discuss further on the implementation of Smart-Healthy Age-Friendly Environments and its connection to financing models.

Keywords

• integrated solutions
• health and care
• age-friendly environments
• funding models