On December 4, a telematic meeting was held to find out the status of the county project “Active and healthy aging, and dependence” with the participation of representatives of the Consell Comarcal del Garraf , coordinator of the project, the six town councils of the region, and the participating entities: Alt Penedès Garraf Health Consortium , Ave Maria Foundation of Sitges , Institute of Robotics for Addiction , the Polytechnic University of Catalonia and Neàpolis.
The meeting was attended by the different councilors of the county councils who are the benchmarks of each municipality – social services and the field of business – with the aim of strengthening the ties between the researchers and town councils. On this occasion were invited to the meeting, also technicians and technicians from the areas of employment.
The project “Active and healthy aging and dependence” aims to promote research, technological development and innovation, to promote active aging and improve the quality of life of people with dependency. In this sense, innovative solutions are being created to manage health, prevent functional decline and fragility, and promote comprehensive models of care for chronic diseases, with remote monitoring, among others. According to the president of the Area of Territorial Planning and Housing, Marta Verdejo Sánchez, “this investment in R&D is a very innovative line of territorial work that includes values like future, investigation, employment, technological industry, opportunity and services to the people”.
The total budget of the project is € 1,518,552.10, the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) trusts 50% in the line of Specialization Projects and Territorial Competitiveness (PECT), the Diputació de Barcelona contributes 25% and the remaining part is covered by the Garraf town councils and the entities that carry out the actions. On the occasion of the Covid-19 the deadlines for the execution of the project have been extended until the end of 2021.
Living Lab of Health and Wellness – Neàpolis
The “Living Lab” project in Neàpolis aims to develop an ecosystem of work between the different local and regional actors of innovation to find solutions to the challenges and needs of health and well-being in general, and for the senior group in particular. . The aim is to create a competitive industry based on knowledge, research, innovation, active experimentation and the search for new economic niches based on this sector.
This ecosystem has been developed with actions to support and revitalize entrepreneurship ( Select Weekend Talent or Entrepreneurial Bootcamp ), with the creation of technological solutions with social impact and the promotion of a participatory process with social and health personnel to identify new challenges and needs. For 2021, the deployment of the entrepreneurial Bootcamp and the acceleration process of the startups created are planned, as well as the development of collaborative micro-projects related to the concept of a caring city.
“Never Alone” platform – Ave Maria Foundation
The Ave Maria Foundation is developing the “Never Alone” platform, aimed at dependent or disabled people, who live alone at home or are unaccompanied. It is an application in the cloud, advanced and proximity assistance, which links various services around a person, to offer preventive and personalized support. The application gathers information about the family, caregivers, the municipality, medical and telecare services, home care service, social services, etc. and generates alerts based on the evolution of their quality of life.
This year the Foundation is conducting a pilot test in Sant Pere de Ribes via electronic tablets or mobile phones, which allow the dependent person to be interconnected and can see the agenda and activity in the village, or can answer simple surveys that help to know their situation at all times. During the following phases, it is hoped to be able to connect this tool to the Hèstia program of the Generalitat de Catalunya, where the data of people using social services are collected, as well as the implementation throughout the territory.
Deliverybot Project – Institute of Robotics for Addiction
The Institute of Robotics for Dependence is developing the project “Deliverybot”, which consists of the creation of a fleet of robots that will facilitate the transport of laundry materials, warehouse, kitchen and pharmacy in residences and hospitals, with three types of logistical strategies: distribution, collection and circular routes. The robots will be placed under a cart, lift it, and leave it at its destination autonomously and safely, sharing corridors and elevators with people (workers, customers, residents, etc.).
This project will extend the time spent caring for people, improve the quality of service and reduce transportation costs. Currently, and on the occasion of the pandemic, work is underway to develop a second phase of application programming so that multiple routes can be implemented for multiple robots. In this sense, this tool will allow the transport of materials with all the necessary care to properly perform the tasks of sanitation and prevent contagion inside the centers. The development of this project is 50% and is expected to be completed in a year.
Aging – Polytechnic University of Catalonia
“Envellint”, from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, is an innovation and development project that consists of the creation of a platform to design and implement tools to make the cities and towns of Garraf a healthy and friendly environment. ”For the elderly, thanks to the analysis of relevant data from at-risk groups.
One of the objectives of the project is to assess the fragility of the elderly through technological systems, in order to make timely detections and implement specific rehabilitation actions. In this sense, a pilot test has been done with the use of motion and force sensors, which together with the evaluation of a database of inertial signals and data on the use of the smartphone, allow assess the functional status of the person. The massive assessment of the population at risk will make it possible to act in time and avoid situations of dependency, if actions are promoted that promote autonomous and active life.
Better Aging – Health Consortium of the Alt Penedès and Garraf
The project “Better Aging” of the Health Consortium of the Alt Penedès and Garraf, focuses on improving interpersonal relationships, preventing unwanted loneliness and promoting exercise, taking into account the physical condition, functional, emotional and cognitive development of the elderly in Garraf and taking advantage of new technologies and their evolution, with an adaptation and territorial integration of resources and services that are innovative and personalized. With the pandemic, the pace of the project has changed, but the work of accompanying unwanted loneliness has been strengthened, remote psychology has been put into practice and different ways of caring for people have been incorporated. virtual. This year, possible technological solutions are being sought that can respond to the project, and later a pilot test will be carried out to identify which people are isolated or in a situation of unwanted loneliness.
