DEVELOPMENT OF A TRAINING PROGRAM FOR IMPROVING THE WELL-AGEING OF PERSONS WITH CEREBRAL PALSY Erasmus Project

Project Title

DEVELOPMENT OF A TRAINING PROGRAM FOR IMPROVING THE WELL-AGEING OF PERSONS WITH CEREBRAL PALSY

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Inclusion – equity; Health and wellbeing; Disabilities – special needs

Project Summary

Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a motor disorder accompanied by sensory, communication, behavioral, cognitive and perceptual disturbances, affecting movement and posture in2,5 per 1.000 births in EU (≈1.000.000 persons). Medical advancements have increased the life expectancy for Adults with CP(ACP), raising questions about how to best manage the effects of their ageing.

Between about 20 to 40 years old, most ACP experience some form of premature aging(www.cerebralpalsyguide.com/community/cerebral-palsy-in-adults). They manifest a higher rate of chronic health conditions and decline in strength and functional reserve, deterioration in physical activity, increased risk of falls and musculoskeletal complications, changes in swallowing ability, dental health problems, side effects due to medications or surgeries and difficulty walking or stiff muscles (25% of ACP will lose their walking ability).

There are several strategies for enhancing the well-ageingof ACP, which can be divided as follows:
– Preventing and dealing with the physical decline, including appropriate seating and postures, keeping and adapting the physical activity, stretching exercises, physiotherapy, specialized nutrition, dental care, avoiding excessive weight gain, medicine management, etc.
– Preventing and dealing with the cognitive decline, through cognitive stimulation and specialized activities focusing on the dimensions affected by dementia (calculus, language, orientation, etc…). For instance, therapies based on “SERIOUS GAMES” are exhibiting good results when they are used with persons with mild and moderate symptoms of cognitive decline (Robert, P., et al. 2014).
– Keeping and/or strengthening autonomy and social inclusion, including the adaptation to the ageing of the supports (relatives, friends, others…)
– Use of Assistive Technologies (ATs) for dealing with physical, intellectual and social barriers, according to the WHO World Report on Disability (2011).

CP-AGEING is launched for increasing the competences (attitudes, knowledge, skills) of Adults with CP and their Supports on how to enhance their Well-Ageing.

Specific objectives:
• To aware/motivate about the relevance of preventing and dealing with the ageing effects while keeping their QoL.
• To create and transfer guidelines and tools on how to prevent and deal with the physical and cognitive decline and for keeping and/or strengthening autonomy and social inclusion, including the selection and exploitation ofATs.
• To promote the implementation of the innovative strategies in institutions but also at home, promoting self-care and autonomy.
• To focus in the ageing of Supports and its impact in the support itself, grieving process or legal and economic issues among others
• To strengthen the cooperation between institutions, ACP and Supports

The next main results will be produced:

CO-DESIGNED SYLLABUS (I.O.1) A Syllabus for improving the well-ageing of adults with Cerebral Palsy will be Co-Designed, with the direct participation of End Users (ACP and Supports)

TRAINING PACKAGE FOR PREVENTING AND DEALING WITH THE PHYSICAL AGEING OF ADULTS WITH CP (I.O.2), including Training Materials and Experiential Training Activities, will be built including the next 4 main Topic
1. Physiotherapy. Postures and sitting
2. Nutrition and Swallowing disorders
3. Medicines management
4. Adapted Sports and physical activities

TRAINING PACKAGE FOR PREVENTING AND DEALING WITH THE COGNITIVE DECLINE OF ADULTS WITH CP (I.O.3), including Training Materials and Experiential Training Activities, will be built including the next 4 main Topic
1. Memory and Disorientation;
2. Language/communication and perception/gnosis
3. Attention and calculus
4. Coordination and fine motor skills.
A summary of existing Serious Games and other Assistive Technologies

TRAINING PACKAGE FOR KEEPING THE AUTONOMY AND SOCIAL INCLUSION OF ADULTS WITH CP ALONG THEIR AGEING PROCESS (I.O.4), including Training Materials and Experiential Training Activities, will be built including the next 4 main Topic
1. Mobility, going out and enjoy inclusive environments
2. Communication and getting in contact with my network
3. Living at Home, Hygiene & Rest
4. Management of the ageing of my Supports

All Training Topics will include a section devoted to the presentation of existing Assistive Technologies

ACCESIBLE E-TRAINING PLATFORM (I.O.5) will be built including training materials, training activities, serious games, tools for enhancing the e-learning experience, etc.

VALIDATION PILOT ACTIONS will be implemented with 25 ACP and Supports (total 100 in Spain, Portugal, Slovenia and Greece) where all the Training Packages and the Accesible e-Training Platform will be put into practice and tested.

4 NATIONAL MULTIPLIER EVENTS will be organized wth 120 Stakeholders

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 281110 Eur

Project Coordinator

UNIVERSITAT DE VALENCIA & Country: ES

Project Partners

• SLOVENSKO ZDRUZENJE ZA POMOC PRI DEMENCI – SPOMINCICA ALZHEIMER SLOVENIJA
• ARISTOTELIO PANEPISTIMIO THESSALONIKIS
• ETERIA PROSTASIAS SPASTIKON
• Associação de Paralisia Cerebral de Braga
• SONCEK Zveza drustev za cerebralno paralizo Slovenije so.p.
• ASOCIACION VALENCIANA DE AYUDA A LA PARALISIS CEREBRAL