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Well-being and Healthy Choices for Older Adults and Their Carers – WHOLE
Start date: Sep 1, 2015, End date: Aug 31, 2018 PROJECT  FINISHED 

Benefits of exercise have been shown in various populations of older adults: healthy and frail, with multimorbidity or specific diseases such as dementia and depression, and those who experience major life events such as trauma, surgery, and bereavement. In spite of these benefits of exercise, a major part of the older population in Europe does not get a sufficient amount of physical activity. The higher the age, the harder it is to be sufficiently physically active (Curriculum EUNAAPA). It is obvious that as people are getting older, it becomes more difficult for them to participate in active ageing actions. Reasons for this are emerging restricting factors as frailty, mobility problems, chronic diseases, lack of mood and motivation, and even not sufficient information. So what about those elderly people who almost or entirely they are confined into their home environment? How can adapted active ageing actions and initiatives reach them and help them preserve the quality of life and level of functionality they have? It is obvious in this case that active ageing must be correlated with the EU policy directives for empowerment of older people to remain independent in their homes for as long as possible, and for long term care to shift towards home-based care, as many governments pursue the concept of ‘ageing in place’ (OECD, 2005). WHOLE project's main objective is to promote active and healthy ageing through physical training for frail seniors and elderly people at home, using as a mean the personalized home care services provided to them by formal and informal carers. At the same time, WHOLE project equally emphasizes on the effect of the physical training on wellbeing and relief of formal and especially informal care givers. WHOLE project’s specific objective is to develop a basic e-learning platform for physical exercising and healthy diet at home to train formal and informal care givers to use it as an integral part of the home care services they provide, specified to the prevention of functional decline and frailty among elderly people. Subsequently the main innovation of WHOLE is that it aims to bring physical training into the daily routine not only of the elderly but of the formal/informal carers as well, as an essential component of the care giving tasks. The general idea of WHOLE project's methodology is to collect and to exchange good practices between the partners, but also to include their local networks and stakeholders on different levels, e.g. seniors and family members, formal and informal carers, social workers and other professionals, care providers, community and social welfare representatives and researchers. WHOLE intends to use physical exercising and nutrition counseling as a tool for a) introducing healthy and active living into the homes of elderly people, b) using the care giving services as an initial, immediate measure for uplifting the physical and mental condition of the elderly people for preventing any aggravating situations, and c) at the same time benefiting the caregivers by providing them with opportunities to relax and to retain their physical and mental agility. The expected impact for the social carers and formal/informal caregivers is: • Creation of useful learning contents that will improve the quality and range of the work and services provided • Improving the qualification of workers through the promotion of new transversal competencies • Flexibility of care methods available for the benefit of the elderly • Improvement of the communication channel between the carer and the patient For the elderly: • Avoiding hospitalization and promoting healthy living • New activities to battle a feeling of confinement in the home environment • Motivation to be active in daily living The project has 7 participants: WWU contributes research in nursing and preventive activities with frail elderly and will coordinate the project. WIN is one of the world-known research institutes in physical activity and is responsible for the content development. PRO will contribute their adult training experience from the perspective of community development. DIFAS will be a major agent, for their vast experience in working with older adults in home care and residential care. BFI is the most experienced partner in EU projects in the field of education and training, thus is able to lead dissemination and sustainability aspects of the project. ATOM Life long learning center has extensive experience in social care educational and training programs and projects, and is part of APHOI KOUMANAKOU & SIA association will develop the market analysis and the business plan of the project. GEN will substantially contribute in the validation of the projects results.
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