Healthy and Active Ageing in Radevormwald
What are the aims of the projects?
The number of older people is increasing steadily
and those older people live always longer. They want to lead that
longer life as active and independent as possible.
The
WHO‘s programme Active Ageing aims to improve the active
and independent way of living of older people and therewith improve
their quality of life.
The degree of activity, independence and self esteem
is positively associated with health. The project aims to increase
this degrees for the participating people.
The project intends to improve the health of older
people efficiently and provably on the basis of the existing resources
in the community. This is realised through a multisectoral approach
on the local level and an individual case management with a client
centered approach.
The project works on two levels: first on the basis of the individual
needs, and second on a systemic level, i.e. it names barriers and
aims to overcome them by innovative strategies. This as well on
the community level as on the regional level.
How will this aims be achieved
?
Health of older people as well as all other people
depends mainly on factors beyond the traditional health sector.
It is mainly created or deteriorated in settings of everyday life.
The appropriateness of housing, social and cultural services, their
coordination and orientation towardsthe needs of the clients play
a vital role in health development both at individual and community
level. This understanding requires a multisectoral approach to public
health. Therefore, the project will identify, as a first step, what
other stakeholders and decision makers contribute concretely to
the health of older people in our community and integrate them into
the project.
Who are the actors of the project?
The clients and the advocates
Target group of the intervention are those persons
over 60 that experience a fundamental change in their life. They
are either in the process of retiring or have entered widowhood.
Those people , the so-called clients will be visited by the so-called
advocates. The advocates shall mediate between the professional
services and the personal goals, expectations and needs of a client.
To this end the advocate carries out client-centered counselling
with the individual older person. By means of a client-centered
approach, the client is able to identify his or her goals oriented
towards the concept of active ageing ans also identifies the barriers
that might prohibit the achievement of such goals. Many of them
might be reduced by using social networks and individual measures.
In addition, individual needs are identified that require professional
medical care or social services.
The advocate is informed in detail about the assets,
services and strengths that exist in the community that could promote
an active ageing and he has the authority to identify ans agree
with the older person on an individualized service package.
The service providers and insurances commit themselves to facilitate
those service packages. The achievements of the intervention will
be assessed throughout the project and the service package might
be adapted according to the changing needs.
On the whole the existing budget in the community should not be
overspent.
The Gerontological Advisory Team
The advocate is supported by a gerontological advisory
team, in which the following functions are gathered:
- knowledge of care for older people
- geriatric knowledge
- expertise in social services
- detailed knowledge of local services and assets
- administration capacities for data collection and follow-up
The team meets once a week and clears those problems
that could not be solved by the advocate. The team also identifies
the barriers that cannot be solved on this level and submits them
to the Local Working Group.
The Local Working Group
It unites the local stakeholders, and especially the
service providers and insurances. Their aim is to reduce and solve
the concrete problems and barriers that have occurred in the work
of the Gerontological Advice Team at the lowest level possible.
This requires innovative thinking and a willingness for inter-sectoral
cooperation. It may be anticipated that at this level not all problems
can be solved.
The Regional Working Group
Therefore, a working group shall be established at
Bundesland (province) – level, in which all social partners,
political relevant stakeholders and other relevant actors are gathered
that have an impact on the health of older people in the province.
The Local Working Group presents those problems and barriers to
the Regional Group that cannot be solved at local level.
The International WHO Coordinating Group
The success of inter-sectoral cooperation depends
on structural, organizational and cultural conditions and requires
high commitment from every person involved. The WHO Europe carries
out demonstration projects at sub-national level with its partners
in Member States. All project partners are gathered in an international
network. An international working group identifies the lessons from
the concrete experience in the individual demonstration projects,
analyses and disseminates them, and uses them for the technical
and policy support for Member States in their attempt to re-orient
their health systems.
The scientific monitoring of the project
Such an innovative project requires a sound process
evaluation both with regard to the health improvement of the individuals
and the change process within and between the participating organizations.
The implementation of the project should be particularly reviewed
with regard to the practicality of this innovative approach..
There is the project coordinator Dr Hikl and the project
manager Ms Bill. They both belong to the project management group
that is responsible for the steering and monitoring of the project
and its representation to the public. Besides that it is responsible
for the management of the budget.
There is also a project coordinating group, that consists
of the project management group, the WHO coordinator and the scientific
monitoring group. It coordinates and manages the project on all
levels and maintains the connection with the other WHO demonstrations
in the interior and the exterior.
When did the project start and
how long will it last?
The project started in January 2002 and after a preparation
period with the training of the advocates and the establishing of
the different working groups the intervention will start 1st of
October 2002. The intervention will take 2 years and the evaluation
period will last about three months. End of the project is march
2005.
|
