Elderly «form a particularly vulnerable group in society, with an increased risk of poverty or social exclusion»: 38% of +65 y. are unable to face unexpected financial expenses;almost 17% of people in risk of poverty are elderly aged >65 y.; 12.5% among people aged >75 y. self-reported depressive symptoms,linked with loneliness (2019 Ageing Europe,Eurostat).In addition,EU-28 average of elderly who live alone is 32.1% (2015) & higher rates are in countries like France (37.5%), Romania (35,6%) & Germany (33,7%),UK (32%) & Italy (30.7%);Portugal & Spain face rates below 25% (A look at the lives of the elderly in the EU today,Eurostat,2017). Promoting age-friendly environments and communities is at the heart of EU social policy. There are initiatives at national level to support elderly citizens & ageing in place. Despite some ground work, there is still a need to ensure wider support & meeting needs beyond food supply and small entertainment.Many instrumental support given is not protected by professional advice, thus in need for an holistic approach preparing communities for any situation which might arise. NEXT DOOR aims to promote social capital within neighbourhoods,fostering protection of elderly citizens & increasing levels of self-esteem & quality of life.NEXT DOOR takes up the benefits of the Integrated Neighborhood Approach (INA),which aims to use resources that are available in a neighborhood & to increase responsiveness to individuals’ unmet needs (van Dijk et al., 2016). It relies on development of skills of professionals working for community at local level,improving technical & social competences to support better job performance & their contribution to cohesive region,putting together community organisations & training providers. Objectives of NEXT DOOR are to: 1_Engage multi-level stakeholders in response of elderly needs, by local co-creation workshops; 2_Build digital tool of mapping local resources, information on how to support & referral process; 2_Raise awareness on general public & neighbours on the importance of community’s social capital; 3_Design and pilot a capacity-building programme for professionals (community, social, health) & policymakers (municipalities, government), addressing concept & resources of NEXT DOOR; 4_Build gamification resources to support the learning activities, awareness events and assessment; 5_Launch local social resources groups (taken from the model of Employee Resource Groups which are made for support and career development, engagement, for reference and understanding a business) to setup recommendations; 6_Create a model which packs methodology, resources, results from piloting, follow-up assessment and case studies, as well as a business model for mainstream and replication. Foreseen Intellectual Outputs: IO1_NEXT DOOR Methodology through participatory actions for engagement of multi-level stakeholders IO2_Next Door Digital tool IO3_Awareness and Capacity-building programme IO4_Next Door Model for neighbourhood’s participation to protect and care for elderly citizens For this, several results can be anticipated: -The engagement of 210 multi-level stakeholders (social/health services, parish councils, municipalities )in the response of elderly needs, by implementing 21 local co-creation sessions; -Production of 1 Methodology for fostering community engagement of neighbours; -More well prepared neighbours and general public when supporting elderly people fight social exclusion through 1 digital tool, developed over 14 design workshops for mapping needs involving 112 participants, and tested in 350 users; -Creation of 1 Digital tool in 7 languages and 1 manual of instructions; -Awareness and civic engagement of general public and with 21 awareness activities and 420 people reached; -Creation and piloting of 1 capacity-building programme for professionals addressing NEXT DOOR’s concept in 7 countries, 70 professionals trained, -Creation of a business model with varied resources, including launching 7 Local Social Resources Groups, involving 42 participants, setting 14 recommendations, and spread to 140 stakeholders. NEXT DOOR wants to create innovative methods for neighbourhood engagement in a way in which each "door" can become the support network for older citizens.
The objectives of NEXT DOOR are as follows: - Involve stakeholders at several levels in responding to the needs of older people, through local co-creation workshops. - To create a digital tool for mapping local resources, providing information on how to support and guide older people. - Raise awareness among the general public and neighbours of the importance of community social capital. - Design and test a capacity-building programme for professionals (community, social and health workers) and policy-makers (municipalities, governments) based on the NEXT DOOR concept and resources. - Create multimedia resources to support learning activities, awareness-raising events and evaluation. - Launch local social resource groups (modelled on employee resource groups, created for professional support and development, engagement, referral and understanding of a business) to develop recommendations. - Develop a model bringing together the methodology, resources, pilot test results, follow-up evaluation and case studies, as well as a business model for generalisation and replication.
The NEXT DOOR project responds to the crucial need to support the elderly, a vulnerable group at risk of poverty, social exclusion and loneliness. Around 38% of the over-65s are unable to cope with unexpected expenses, and almost 17% are at risk of poverty, with an even higher rate of 12.5% among the over-75s. In addition, many older people live alone, with an average of 32.1% in the EU, reaching higher rates in some countries. NEXT DOOR aims to create environments conducive to ageing and to strengthen the social capital of older people in their neighbourhoods. It uses an integrated neighbourhood approach to harness local resources and address the unmet needs of older people. The project also develops the skills of local professionals and encourages collaboration between local players. NEXT DOOR addresses the pressing need to better support older people, promote age-friendly environments and prepare communities to cope with a variety of situations.