(GO1) Enhancing Emotional Care Through Creativity: to make creative activities more accessible for older adults as a means of fostering emotional well-being. By using art-based and creative activities, the project aimed to strengthen long-term social connections among older adults, creating stable socio-emotional networks. This approach not only improves mental well-being but also helps maintain and enhance these benefits over time. (GO2) Bridging the Digital Divide: to reduce the digital gap among older adults, addressing challenges in their learning processes and in performing daily tasks. IntegraLab+ will meets both GOthrough 4 specific objectives (SO): (SO1) To generate a common framework, that will materialize on an Emotional care through creativeness need analysis, good practices and recommendations. (SO2) Elaboration of contents and resources for emotional care through creativity adapted to older adults, as well as training and resources specifically designed. (SO3) Design of a training for future instructors of emotional care through creativity adapted to older adults. (SO4) Practical recommendations on how to deliver this training, through the guidelines (teacher’s notes) for course instructors.
We observed an emotional decline among elderly participants in the previous "ACTIVE" project, particularly during and after the COVID pandemic. The lessons learned in addressing these issues guided the focus of IntegraLab+. IntegraLab+ targeted two key areas from the outset: Addressing Emotional Deterioration: The COVID pandemic highlighted the impact of isolation on older adults, leading to increased depression, anxiety, and fear. IntegraLab+ aimed to explore emotional self-care through creativity, as arts-based activities have been shown to improve personal health and well-being in older adults and even enhance certain physiological outcomes (Poulos et al., 2018; Boyce-Tillman, 2019). The project seeks to enhance access to personal growth resources for this demographic. Bridging the Digital Divide: The pandemic also underscored the digital divide affecting older adults. Creativity has been found to help older adults feel more connected to digital training content. The project addressed this challenge by developing and curating digital content specifically adapted to the needs of older adults, promoting self-care. Both key areas were validated during the project, confirming the relevance of the initially identified needs.