Well-Being IN Older Adults. New Perspectives:developing and educational and teaching programme for informal and formal caregivers.

5 personnes

There is a need to improve the quality of care for older adults. In many countries elderly care is not totally integrated into the healthcare system, and it may be considered as a burden on society or as a family responsability. In this context, the families (informal care) and the professional caregivers (formal care) need support and more knowledge about this matter. Everybody: students, researchers, professors, administrative officers, is likely to become an informal carer at some point over one´s life course. At the same time, professional carer jobs have to be more attractive and appealing for everyone: men and women, and even for middle-aged adults who wish to pursue second careers. We consider that is a great responsability and opportunity for the Higher Education Institutions to promote the collaboration between universities and employers, aging service providers, governments and non-profit organizations, to design modern educational and training programmes to create new skills, including management of assistive technology, and address skills mismatches in this vital, important and growing sector

Contexte

The School of Health and Social Sciences [Lorca Campus] at the University of Murcia [Spain] offers different undergraduate courses in: 1) General Nursing; 2) Human Nutrition and Dietetics; and 3) Occupational Therapy. In addition we have a University Chair of Gerontology, supported by Fundación Poncemar, that values the relevance of contributing to research on aging by developing agendas which take into account older adults´diverse needs. We are members of the Age-Friendly University Global Network. We are the first Spanish university, and a few in Europe, to be part of this important International Network. https://www.dcu.ie/agefriendly/age-friendly-members

Our School has a strong collaboration with local and regional governments and with non-profit organizations as Fundación Poncemar that has allowed the opening of an Older Adults Day Care Center, with state-of-the-art facilities that combines the assistance and caring of older adults (ground floor) with teaching and research areas with facilities such as: smart apartment, multisensory room environment or rehabilitation and biomedical labs (first floor), becoming a very modern and novel University Older Adults Day Care Center. Additionally, on the ground floor there is a children´s play area where residents, visitors, students and faculty participate in planned activity programmes with children, bringing intergenerational groups together. We also have an outdoor bowling green and an urban orchard-garden.

In this scenario, all the activities are designed in a way that encourages older and younger adults, including students, to get together and share experiences in a significant way; building social bonds and promoting healthy ageing and understanding across generations.

Objectifs visés

In order to improve the Well-Being of Older Adults, and their families, we propose the Organization of an EUniwell workshop where best practices and ideas could be exchanged with a view to developing and educational and teaching programme for informal and formal caregivers of older adults [home care and institutional care].

It would be extraordinary to have the opportunity to talk to other partners and universities in EUniwell to share these initiatives and improve the quality of life of older adults and the whole community.

Démarche mise en œuvre

With this approach we are looking for partners with common interests in improving the quality of life of older adults and in promoting research based on the needs of older adults.

It would be great to collaborate with all the universities of EUniwell.

Ressources mobilisées

The workshop will be held in the pioneering University Older Adults Day Care Center [School of Health and Social Sciences. Lorca campus. University of Murcia-Spain] as it counts with innovative facilities.

The workshop would have the assistance and help of all the students, researchers, professors, administrative officers of our School and the support of the local and regional governments, Fundación Poncemar, the local aging community and the affiliated university hospital.

Bilan et perspectives

Our perspective is to appreciate the longevity dividend and the value that aging and age-diversity bring to society, avoiding ageism.

Porteur de l'initiative

Iyú Espinosa David

davidiyu@um.es