The Platform
The Platform
The OITO Project intervention’s methodology was to aim to provide digital literacy and skills for adults aged 55 and over. The intervention was carried out using the participants' smartphones or tablets. The program comprised eight workshops (OITO, in Portuguese). Each workshop lasted approximately 1.5 hours, subdivided into digital activity, physical activity, and “conversation circle”. The digital activity encompassed a group of applications ("apps") that were chosen based on levels of stimulation and learning skills, namely: (1) Definition or Configuration app and E-mail app to train touch and manual dexterity in mobile use (Definition or Configuration app), and to train touch and device handling in mobile use as a motor skills stimulation (E-mail app); (2) WhatsApp and Camera apps in multiple forms of communication (text, image, voice, and video) for exploratory capacity; and (3) Gallery or Google Photos, YouTube and Google Fit to share pictures, video, and information, as interactive tasks, and to do activities autonomously with distance guidance as autonomy and cooperation characteristics conquest. The trainer and monitors did not touch the participants’ mobile devices but indicated where the participant should press. This allowed participants to use their devices independently instead of just observing or relying on someone doing it for them. The physical activity moment consisted of standing exercises to stimulate circulation and balance training. The “conversation circle” consisted of participants, a trainer, and monitors reporting their perception of the day's activities. During my postdoctoral scholarship, this project was financed by Population Health Domain in ICVS/School of Medicine/University of Minho.
MoreThe home care sector is one of the largest growing sectors in France with many businesses and working opportunities. It is also facing challenges: an increasing demand due to the ageing population, difficulties in finding and keeping qualified staff and a complicated regulatory framework. A supposed explanation is the lack of knowledge and positive projection in home care jobs. WHY A JOB RALLY? A rally to discover home care jobs has been developed in Nouvelle-Aquitaine by Gérontopôle NA, Cap Métiers NA (regional agency for guidance, training, employment) with the support of AG2R La Mondiale (social protection body) and other institutional partners. It aims at enhancing the value of home care jobs in order to attract people to discover these professions, understand the possible career path(s) and therefore enable them to choose or not this profession with full knowledge of its aspects. FOR WHOM? It is organised for job seekers, students, people undergoing vocational retraining, employees in the home care sector or employment and professional integration actors, etc. ORGANISATION: During 2-5 weeks, workshops are set up on 7 themes: employers / work situations, realities of the job, working conditions, knowledge of the public, training, other home care professionals, professional development. Partnerships among organisations are developed in territories to collectively promote these jobs.
MoreThe Alliance for Health Innovation brings together a diverse set of cross-sector stakeholders committed to health innovation through the lens of equity and healthy aging. Its mission is to establish the importance of innovation in achieving healthy aging through investments, policy reforms, and strategic partnerships – both for the value to patients and for health system sustainability. The Alliance advocates for policy solutions supportive of a robust, thriving innovation sector developing new technologies, treatments, drugs and services that enable people to live longer – and healthier – lives. The relentless pursuit of innovation forms the bedrock of modern medicine and technological advancements. Thirty years ago, an HIV infection was a death sentence. Today, it’s a chronic disease that we can manage. For example, more than half of the People living with HIV in the U.S. are now over 50. We’ve seen comparable advancements in telecommunications where the smartphone has changed many people’s lives and can increasingly be used to monitor and improve our health. Underlining the importance of bringing stakeholders together with experts to discuss policy solutions and create awareness of the importance of innovation toward government officials and policymakers. Policy priorities of the Alliance include: spending on health innovation as an investment; re-imagine 21st-century aging and health needs; ensure that access to healthcare is judged by health equity metrics based on Innovation; emphasize the role of care delivery to all societies; encourage strong intellectual property protections
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