With this project, we aimed to develop a toolkit that would be available online for citizens who wanted to support older adults living in their communities. The toolkit's goal was to equip citizens with the skills to become Community Scouts and equip community professionals with the right training tools to do so. Professionals would then be able to train citizens to organise social activities in their neighbourhoods to enhance social cohesion, assist older adults with daily tasks, and act as a bridge between older adults and professionals by notifying them when professional support was needed. Ultimately, this project aimed to contribute to enabling older adults to continue living independently at home for longer by fostering social connections, providing support, and ensuring timely professional intervention when necessary.
This project was driven by urgent societal challenges, particularly the rapid growth of Europe’s ageing population. In the EU-27, the number of older adults (65+) is expected to rise from 90.5 million in 2019 to 129.8 million by 2050. Policies encourage active ageing and ageing in place, helping older adults remain engaged and independent. However, while many older adults prefer to stay in their own homes, the shortage of one million healthcare workers makes traditional care models increasingly unsustainable. A key solution is to train citizens to support older adults in their communities. In addition, professionals who work in the community need the right training tools to equip and guide citizens who wish to take on meaningful roles in their communities. This benefits multiple groups: citizens acquire new and meaningful skills, professionals gain high-quality training materials to support volunteers, and older adults receive the community-based support they need to continue living independently for longer. This is why we launched this project.