Digi-Ageing overcoming loneliness

“Loneliness in old age” is a societal phenomenon that still receives insufficientattention. However, the COVID-19 pandemichas clearly shown us that we need to pay muchmore attention to this issue. Older people were increasingly isolated in this situation: those in care facilities were isolated for their own protection, others had little contact with friends and family, or lived entirely on theirown.

Individuals who cared for older people often found themselves overwhelmed by the numerous challenges, including those in their own daily lives. This was especially true for family caregivers. As a society, we should better prepare for such scenarios and provide stronger support to those who dedicate themselves to the important task of care-giving.

Therefore, the international Digi-Ageing consortium developed a comprehensive concept between October 2020 and July 2023 to address these challenges and initiate appropriate measures to effectively counter act the phenomenon of “loneliness in old age”.

“LONELINESS AND THEFEELING OF BEING UNWANTED IS THE WORST POVERTY “

Attributed to Mother Teresa

A brief overview:

  • Loneliness is a negative feeling associatedwith a perceived gap between existing and desired relationships.
  • It should be distinguished from self-imposed isolation.
  • The effects of loneliness harm health and increase the risk of illness.
  • However, there are currently few tools for detection and prevention.
  • Training on this topic is rarely offered and care-giving family members are often left to fend for themselves.

The Digi-Ageing partnership has addressed these challenges and implemented these measures:

  • Research on loneliness in old age inEurope
  • Raising awareness of the issue
  • Establishment of networks and concrete recommendations
  • Development of digital tools for detection, prevention, and intervention
  • Providing strategies for those affected, caregivers and family members
  • Creation of a comprehensive trainingprogram for caregivers

“THE TOPIC OF LONELINESS MUST BE GIVEN MORE SPACE IN HEALTHCARE.”

Anna (Certified Health and Nursing Care Professional)

You can download the entire info brochure here …

Digi_Ageing_Brochure_EN

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This communication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

StressLess Newsletter #4

Say NO! to digital stress. All results are available for free!

Digital stress is caused by the constant availability and use of digital technologies in the professional and private sphere. This can lead to mental and physical stress, such as exhaustion, difficulty concentrating and sleep disorders.

As part of the STRESS-LESS project, two measures were developed on the basis of a broad-based survey on the subject of digital stress, which enable employees to find out more about the topic, better understand the effects on their work and – above all – to learn strategies to improve their situation.

In the current newsletter you will find all information about this and all links to the results:

stressless_Newsletter 4 EN

EJO4Youth

Effective Job Orientation for Youth

The EJO4Youth projects aims to improve job orientation for young people in Europe by providing youth workers and professionals with training and methodologies based on the Symbolwork approach. Thus, the project fosters the competences of youth workers to apply effective, motivating and impactful job orientation with interactive and engaging methods and practices. 

The project’s primary objective is to help young people from disadvantaged backgrounds improve their vocational and professional skills by using a career counselling methodology based on Symbol Work. Various interventions will be implemented in order to assist young people in “designing” a roadmap for their career and educational paths. Moreover, young people will receive assistance that is relevant not only to the labour market, but also to increasing social inclusion and active citizenship, as well as reducing discrimination and obstacles in their lives.

Our main results are:

  • Blended Learning Approach and Accreditation: These guidelines will provide more information on the requirements and competences necessary for the implementation of the Symbol Work approach as well as on differences between participating countries.
  • Face-to-face Training Curriculum and Toolset: This curriculum includes more information on how to implement the Symbol Work approach and job orientation. The training is focused on improving the skills and competences of youth workers in Europe.
  • Distance Learning Course: Transferring the curriculum into an online format, allowing for professionals without direct access to the face-to-face training to improve their skills and competences online in an easy and user-friendly way.

Project duration

May 2022 till April 2024

Web

Website: www.ejo4youth.eu

Project Partners

Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Turkish National Agency. Neither the European Union nor Turkish National Agency can be held responsible for them.

Digi-Ageing

Trainings for Caregiver

Our Digi Ageing project starts to pilot our Screening Tools and Reminiscence tools in Austria, Cyprus, Italy, Lithuania and Spain. We will run free 16 hours blended training courses for caregivers to learn more about the phenomena of loneliness, risk factors, how to screen loneliness, supporting activities and coping strategies.
Interested? Please contact us via www.digi-ageing.eu


Here you find your contact points in all partner countries.

Erasmus Logo

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This communication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Erasmus Logo

Quality Audits in Indonesia

During August 2022, the University of Gloucestershire and Hafelekar Consultancy, as responsible Management team for the BUILD-Project (Building Universities in Leading Disaster Resilience), visited four Centres of Excellence (CoE) located in Indonesian Universities.

Huge congratulations to Universitas Ahmad Dahlan and Universitas Islam Indonesia (both in Yogyakarta), Universitas Muhammadiyah in Palu and President University in Cicarang for having launched local Centres of Excellence in Disaster Resilience as part of the Erasmus CBHE BUiLD Project. The Centres will act as local hubs to deliver disaster response capability, awareness training, curriculum development, research and innovation, and community resilience.

It was amazing to see the teams at the centres in person and we are immensely pround of what Indonesian colleagues have achieved over the past three years.

Institutional Visits in Indonesia – August 2022

CareerBOT

Chatbot based Career Guidance

CareerBot partnership seeks to improve Digital Readiness of the Career Guidance sector by implementing CareerBot methodology and tool, facilitating blended guidance sessions and to use customized Labour Market Information (LMI) to empower marginalized job seekers. We want to put Career Guidance Practitioners at the centre and assist them – and their organisations – on the path of digitalisation so that they can advise their clients in the best possible way.

By the help of our methodology, job seekers will be able to gather relevant information before and after personal interviews, so that valuable personal services can be used efficiently. With the “CareerBot project” we propose a pilot that focuses on the role of career guidance, which became more demanding, and must be adapted more rapidly and flexibly to the changing needs of the new world of work.

The CareerBot project includes 4 main project outcomes:

  • CareerBot Content and Methodology
  • CareerBot Tool
  • Blended CareerBot training for Career Guidance Practitioner
  • Transfer Handbook for Implementation with focus on Organisational Development (OD)

In addition, a training event for Career Guidance Officers will be held in Greece and ten Multiplier Events will be organised towards the end of the project to share the learning and engage with all the relevant stakeholders to make them aware of the new CareerBot tool and its benefits.

Project duration

November 2021 to August 2024

Web

Website: careerbot.eu
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/eucareerbot

Project Partners

Erasmus Logo

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This communication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

2nd STRESS-LESS Newsletter

The STRESS-LESS project provides digital stress prevention solutions for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as up-to-date information on how digital stress is dealt with in partner countries. Here you can find the latest project newsletter with details of all activities:

stressless_Newsletter2_EN

Digi-Ageing

overcoming loneliness

“Loneliness in old age” is a well-known social phenomenon that still receives too little attention. However, the current pandemic clearly shows us that we need to pay more attention to the issue. Older people are increasingly isolated in this situation:Those in care facilities are secluded for their own protection, others have little contact with friends and family or live entirely on their own. People caring for older people are often overwhelmed by the many safety precautions and challenges in their own daily lives. This is also true for family caregivers.

Since October 2020, the international Digi-Ageing consortium has been working on a comprehensive concept that addresses these challenges and develops appropriate measures to counteract the phenomenon of “loneliness in old age”. One of the main goals is to increase competences in the use of digital tools in the elderly care sector and to create a strong network that develops joint solutions.

What we develop

  • Research reports on the topic of loneliness in old age
  • Creation of a network that specifically counteracts this phenomenon
  • Digital diagnostic tool to be able to recognise “loneliness in old age” in good time
  • Digital intervention tools for education providers in the field of elderly care, for caregivers, for caring family members and for interested older people themselves
  • Curriculum for the Digi-Ageing Training Programme for the Care Sector

How we reach caregivers

Within the framework of the Digi-Ageing project, so-called “pilot trainers” are trained to subsequently conduct training sessions with other interested persons from the field of elderly care. These professionals will then implement the Digi-Ageing method in their own institutions and recruit other interested people.

Project duration

October 2020 to July 2023

Web

www.digi-ageing.eu
Facebook: www.facebook.com/digiageing
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/digi-ageing

Project Partner

Erasmus Logo

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This communication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

STRESS-LESS

Well-being and prevention of stress from working

The STRESS-LESS project aims to provide and support the uptake of innovative open pedagogies and approaches in the field of improving the digital competences as well as personal, social, and learning competences of staff of small and medium-sized companies (SMEs). The project will be focusing on equipping people with knowledge and teaching them habits how to better cope with digital stress.

Especially as a result of digital transformation and the associated changes in business models, workflows and the use of digital tools, employees are faced with constantly increasing demands in terms of flexibility, accessibility and transparency. As a consequence of this progress workers are suffering growing stress-related conditions.

The project objectives are to

  • develop new training content about prevention and management of digital stress that can be applied in work-based settings or in “home-office” settings by SMEs, their staff, managers and trainers/mentors. The training content will be available online, free of charge via web and mobile based platform;
  • empower VET teachers, trainers and mentors in work-based settings through the development of effective digital, open and innovative pedagogies;
  • provide data from research and feedback from practical implementation of measures against digital stress to scientific organizations, training organizations and policy makers, so that they can build upon the results of the project.

As a result of the STRESS-LESS project in the long run SME staff and other learners will be healthier, less stressed, easier to communicate with, suffer less from depression and burn-out. SMEs staff will take less sick leave and be more productive, efficient and competitive.

Project duration

September 2020 to August 2022

Web

www.stress-less-project.eu
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/stress-less-project

Project Partner

Erasmus Logo

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This communication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

BUILD

The mission of the BUiLD project is to develop Indonesia’s national Crisis Management and Resilience knowledge, preparedness and response capability, through the design and implementation of a Disaster Resilience Framework across Indonesia and its Higher Education Institutes.

The project aims to create a Centre of Excellence in Disaster Resilience in each participating Indonesian university. Under the umbrella of a National Disaster Resilience Network, these centres will act as local enablers in the implementation of a comprehensive Disaster Resilience Framework. Based on the penta helix model, the vision behind the creation of the centres and the national disaster resilience network is to facilitate collaboration between universities and the public, private and third sector. This Disaster Resilience Framework integrates resilience capacity building at multiple levels, including the individual, programme, institutional and national level. It addresses several aspects of resilience capacity-building, including university governance, disaster response and recovery capability, disaster awareness training, curriculum development, internal and external information exchange and knowledge transfer as well as fundraising.

Objectives

  • One of the project’s objectives is to increase the attractiveness of disaster resilience education and career development in order to build future research, innovation and leadership capacity. Aligned with the aims of the Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education programme, the project will lead to the modernisation of university governance across Indonesia, improve the management and functioning of universities in crisis situations, and strengthen their external relationships.
  • Cumulatively, Indonesian partner universities have a diverse network and close working relationships with key organisations. These include the National Ministry of Education and Higher Education (formerly MoRTHE), the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), non-governmental disaster aid organisation ACT Alliance, the Muhammadiyah Disaster Management Centre (MDMC) and funding platforms kitabisa and Lazismu.
  • At local level, partner universities have working relationships with emergency services, including the police, hospitals, the military and with local businesses and communities. The project endeavours to consolidate and considerably strengthen the disaster resilience expertise and response capability that already exist in participating universities and their networks.

By October 2022 a minimum of 8 universities across Indonesia will have adopted the Build Best Practice Model for University Governance. A minimum of 8 universities will have participated in the BUiLD Disaster Awareness Campaign and been trained on delivering a disaster awareness workshops to students, staff and associated stakeholder groups and the use of virtual reality equipment. A minimum of 8 Centres of Excellence in Disaster Resilience will have been created A working BUiLD Disaster Resilience Network for cross-sector information sharing and knowledge transfer will have been established, supported by a web portal.

Project duration

November 2019 to October 2022

Web

http://disasterresilience.eu/

Project Partners

Erasmus Logo

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This communication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.