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Symposium
Author: Tom Hall Research Assistant on the SHAPES project in ALL
As European citizens’ life expectancy increases, older people (65+) account for a progressively larger percentage of the total EU population. Trends suggest this will rise from 21.2% in 2022 to 25% in 2030. Along with these demographic changes, larger numbers of people will experience health-related issues. This raises significant challenges for European healthcare systems. In light of these, the SHAPES (Smart and Healthy Ageing through People Engaging in Supportive Systems) project led by Maynooth University aims to create an integrated IT platform which offers a wide range of digital solutions. These are focused on improving the health, well-being, and independence of people as they get older.
The 8th SHAPES Dialogue Workshop took place on 12th September 2023, hosted by Maynooth University. This is an exciting time for the project as it approaches the completion of its 4-year timeframe. With this in mind, the workshop focused on what has been achieved and where research projects can go next. Seven presenters outlined their various experiences in the SHAPES project, giving a variety of interesting perspectives. Following this, a panel discussion was held. Here, the achievements of SHAPES were weighed up, and insightful suggestions were made regarding the way forward for similar projects in the future.
Accessibility and Participation: Key Components of SHAPES
Taking place virtually, the workshop was attended by approximately 100 audience members online. Following the ethos of the project, accessibility was aided by the provision of Spanish, Italian and International Sign interpretation and real-time captioning in English throughout. The audience participated through a combination of written comments, questions, and contributions using the Slido polling tool. Importantly, it was stressed that audience contributions would feedback into the work completed by SHAPES. This is because SHAPES takes a participatory approach which allows for meaningful empowerment and the engagement of older individuals in defining and implementing healthy ageing and independent living policies.
SHAPES Achievements
The workshop was moderated by the SHAPES Coordinator, Mac MacLachlan, who underlined the person-centredness of the project in his introduction. In the first presentation, Katja Seidel and Jamie Saris, from Maynooth University, expanded on the importance of the personalised perspective of their ethnographic research. Guided by the operating ethos of “look, understand and act”, they outlined how they used remote rather than face-to-face interviews to overcome the barriers presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. Through these online interviews, detailed and rich data on participants’ lives was gathered. These interviews are the foundation and inspiration in part for the SHAPES Stories.
Following this, Helmut Lutzmann outlined his experiences participating in one of the SHAPES pilots. He also spoke about his contribution to the SHAPEs stories and how this influenced his work at the Senior Citizens Academy in Dresden. Interestingly, education was identified as a key component in improving one’s well-being. Specifically, it was noted that digital education for older people gives access to new educational methods (Skype, Zoom and YouTube) and facilitates participation in a digital social life. Barriers to education were also identified. These include accessibility for those with physical disabilities and a lack of available digital training for those who require it.
In the following presentation, Sonja Grigoleit from Fraunhofer IFT gave an overview of the research outcomes in various SHAPES pilot sites, looking at both the successes and challenges. Among the research successes were participants’ improvements in relation to Long-Lasting Memories (LLM) Care and Psycho-social & Cognitive Stimulation Promoting Well-being. The challenges outlined by Sonja included the variety of digital and open-call solutions that were developed in different countries during the research. In part, these were the result of the travel restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic and may be overcome in future research through frequent face-to-face meetings of technical partners.
Michael Cooke from Maynooth University and also Co-Principal Investigator on the SHAPES project described the Organisational, Structural and Sociotechnical Factors for the SHAPES Ecosystem. It was shown how this part of the SHAPES project aims to map the role that technology plays in people’s lives in the course of a day. Beyond this, the aim here is also to evaluate the suitability and sustainability of technologies used in SHAPES and guide the implementation of the project as a whole.
Barbara Guerra from EDGENEERING, described the SHAPES Marketplace. She noted that as a one-stop shop for older people, the SHAPES Marketplace aims to provide a secure and trusted open ecosystem. Furthermore, this ecosystem is transparent and enhances the competitiveness of the European health and care industry in a viable manner. That being so, the SHAPES Marketplace can offer long-term value to both suppliers and consumers.
Rounding off the first section of the workshop, Ioannis Kefaloukos from the Hellenic Mediterranean University gave a practical demonstration on how both customers and vendors can use the SHAPES Marketplace. The features of the SHAPES Marketplace include product validation to help ensure safety, customer feedback through star ratings/comments and enhanced accessibility through language translations.
Future Research Directions: Where to Next?
Mac MacLachlan hosted a panel discussion in the second part of the dialogue workshop. The panel comprised Lucia D’Arino: World Federation of the Deafblind, Mark Wheatley: European Union of the Deaf, Joke de Ruiter-Zwanikken: AGE Platform Europe and Catherine Holloway: University College London, Global Disability Innovation Hub.
Looking to the future, each speaker responded to the question, “What will a project like this look like ten years from now?” While it is impossible to answer this question with 100% certainty, the responses were informed, relevant and articulate. Included here was the need to address digital inequalities. A striking example is in low-income countries where 90% of people cannot access assistive technology. The promotion of the rights of older people in research was also stressed, along with the importance of having disability-led projects.
Beyond these, the “intriguing and scary” prospect of AI-centred technologies was examined. Here, AI benefits such as assisting with communication were balanced against user’s concerns over data protection. Educating people on how to use AI was presented as a way to overcome concerns and maximise AI’s potential. On a broader level, participatory governance, which guides policy, was highlighted as one way to ensure that technology serves people.
Overall, this workshop demonstrated how accessibility and participation can be incorporated as key elements of a research project. With participant input and consultation from older people’s and disability groups, the project has been “shaped” in an inclusive manner, reflecting the needs of those at the centre of the research. Upon its completion, the SHAPES project will have launched the first European open Ecosystem, enabling large-scale deployment of digital technologies to support and extend healthy and independent living for older individuals. This is a huge achievement. No doubt, the innovative solutions offered here will have been enhanced by the participatory approach taken by SHAPES.
If you would like to view the 8th SHAPES Dialogue Workshop or any of the previous workshops, please visit the SHAPES YouTube channel.
To find out more about the SHAPES project and what has been accomplished thus far, including the SHAPES stories and the SHAPES pilots, visit shapesh2020.eu
The SHAPES project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 857159.