Development of a training program for improving QoL of seniors living in loneliness through educational activities Erasmus Project

Project Title

Development of a training program for improving QoL of seniors living in loneliness through educational activities

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: Civic engagement / responsible citizenship; Health and wellbeing; Inclusion – equity

Project Summary

Unwanted loneliness has increased all across Europe. Loneliness represents a decrease in the quality of life of many people in our society, especially in the elderly, hindering their health and well-being. Through different co-creation initiatives and considering their needs, our project addresses elderly loneliness. This project will provide elderly and other actors with tools to tackle with their loneliness feeling, increase self-esteem, and understand that living alone does not mean living in loneliness.

HEALTHY LONELINESS will co-create, develop and validate high quality adapted learning program tailored to the needs of low-skilled or low-qualified seniors living in a situation of loneliness with the aim of acquiring skills and competences to minimize the negative effects in both mental and physical health.

The project aims to involve more than 200 end-users (seniors in loneliness, people from the community and health/social-care professionals) in many stages of the project to co-create, develop and validate an innovative training framework for promoting the skills and competences of citizens to minimize the negative effects of loneliness

HEALTHY LONELINESS will be focused on the use of ICT Tools (Apps and Assistive Technologies), developing adapted learning materials and activities to promote several dimensions of the personal development and social inclusiveness. All the materials will be available through an electronic platform based on a learning management system in English and the languages of the participant countries (Spanish, Portuguese, Polish and French)

HEALTHY LONELINESS promotes the development of knowledge and skills to improve the inclusion of persons living in unwanted loneliness through an innovative integrated approach based in promoting health and well-being habits in domestic and in community environments. The program will have a two-fold approach: 1) Theoretical materials to introduce and give ground basis to several aspects of daily life, health and technology and, besides, 2) a practical training program to develop the skills and competences learnt in the theoretical part.

The project will also promote non-discrimination in education through the direct participation seniors who are out of the scope of standard training offer. HEALTHY LONELINESS will aim to foster the development of social, civic, and media literacy also combating discrimination of persons in unwanted loneliness.

Short term impacts of the project will be to maintain and reduce the self-esteem shrinkage of seniors living in loneliness and to raise awareness and promote knowledge and capacities among senior citizens, their entourage and health/social care professionals about the challenges related to unwanted loneliness, its effects on health and how to remediate them.

In the long term we envision to deliver a flexible program, fully ready for replication in more districts, cities and countries to motivate the permanent change in individuals’ lives towards healthy and active ageing, to inspire initiatives and public policies addressing the social problem of unwanted loneliness and putting into place innovative methods and materials to educate and empower citizens concern their health and social life.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 264728 Eur

Project Coordinator

UNIVERSITAT POLITECNICA DE VALENCIA & Country: ES

Project Partners

• FUNDACION DE LA COMUNITAT VALENCIANA PARA LA PROMOCION ESTRATEGICA EL DESARROLLO Y LA INNOVACION URBANA
• E-SENIORS: INITIATION DES SENIORS AUX NTIC ASSOCIATION
• UNIVERSYTET MEDYCZNY W LODZI.
• UNIVERSIDADE DE COIMBRA