The proportion of elderly aged over 65 in Europe will rise to 30% by 2060, while over the same period, the proportion of those aged 80 and over will more than double from 5% to 12% of the population, becoming almost as numerous as young people under the age of 15. Thereby, the increasing need and pressure on long term health care services is very clear. The premise of Pioneering Innovative Food for Seniors (PIFS) is that as adults age, their bodies become less efficient at absorbing and metabolising nutrients at a time they need to take in more nutrients. This is challenging. Reducing mobility and dexterity means that it is more troublesome to buy foods or prepare meals while certain foods may become difficult to consume due to changes in oral health. Importantly, many elderly people also experience a loss in appetite and are at risk of nutritional deficiencies. According to the Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST), researchers at Wageningen University in the Netherlands purport that simply trying to motivate the elderly to consume more food is unlikely to be successful, given that their tendency to eat less is the source of the problem.A more promising approach is the commercialisation of nutrient-enriched foods for elderly, a type of functional food. Innovation is the lifeblood of the food industry and is essential for ensuring profitability and survival. However, the development of successful innovative products is challenging. In an average year, there are almost 80,000 new product launches around the world. According to Mintel, 30% of new food brands fail within the first year. The failure rate is more acute in years 2 and 3 to the extent that only one third of products are still around. Why is the failure rate so high? Of the total, over 75% are copycats or me-too products. In the food sector, it is recognised that only 1- 2% were classically innovative, genuinely new or, breakthrough products. This is in the context of the need to increase food production by anything between 70 per cent and 100 per cent by 2050. Due to specific challenges in the development and marketing of functional foods, failure rates in this product segment are likely to exceed these numbers. However, the food industry is traditionally considered as a sector with low research intensity. Our project responds to the Europe 2020 innovation strategy which set the scene “…with an ageing population and strong competitive pressures from globalization, Europe’s future economic growth and jobs will increasingly have to come from innovation in products, services and business models. This is why innovation has been placed at the heart of the Europe 2020 strategy for growth and jobs…” (EU, 2011). The increasing importance of innovation in the food industry is mainly due to the recent changes that the sector has faced, both in the nature of food demand and in the supply chain organization, together with a more and more competitive environment in which the food companies have to operate. The food industry has always been regarded as a mature and slow-growing sector with low research intensity, and quite conservative in terms of type of innovations introduced to the market (Christensenet al., 1996; Martinez and Briz, 2000). Although researchers develop continuously innovative products and technologies, their applications in the food industry meets several obstacles. For smaller food SMEs the challenge is stark. The innovation processes in the majority of food companies are still based on internal innovation efforts. They have poor interaction with academia and lack the innovation, research and development skills. For decades, food companies innovated following a “closed innovation” perspective. Such a perspective refers to a situation in which all innovation is developed internally and kept inside the company. In other words, no knowledge flows go into or out of the company. The lack of engagement with universities is also stark and universities are rated quite low as knowledge sources and potential partners by firms, notwithstanding their higher impact in terms of innovative outcomes with respect to other actors of the food supply chain, like customers, suppliers, and consumers, rated as primary sources of innovation (Howells et al., 2012).The Pioneering Innovative Food for Seniors project is transformative in that it creates lasting impact for food businesses, particularly SMEs and their employees; using innovative methods to enhance critical innovation and entrepreneurial skills that help companies respond to the increasing demand for new food products and services within the “Silver Economy”. Our project targets food SMEs with up-to-date knowledge and innovation skills necessary to capitalize on this niche market opportunity and the VET sector that provide training to same and will help them to grow their businesses AND empower senior consumers with wider food choices.

The Age Friendly Communities project is transformative since it creates lasting impact for businesses, particularly SMEs and their employees; using innovative VET work-based learning methods to enhance critical digital and entrepreneurial skills that help companies respond to the increasing demand for new products and services within the Silver Economy. Rapid demographic ageing is not only a major societal challenge but also a major opportunity for new jobs and growth. However, the silver segment remains underserved despite being the biggest opportunity in the market. Products and services are not designed to meet older people’s needs and despite being worth half of the market, only 10% of marketing spend is aimed at this group. Thus the aim of our Age Friendly Communities project is clear; to support individuals working in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to develop entrepreneurial, innovation and digital skills through innovative WBL that support their professional development but also innovate the products and services demanded by older people. As result, older people are being offered improved and more appropriate products and services, and regions will benefit from increased economic activity and development. In order to achieve this we set out the following project methodology. The main activities undertaken include: A work based learning toolkit was developed to guide VET providers, business support organisations and wider stakeholders to effectively guide work based learning for SME’s in their region. See appendix 1. Four regional stakeholder partnerships were established as part of this process bringing together 58 stakeholders. They were consulted for needs analysis, mapping of existing supports, the development of regional action plans and dissemination activities.A set of open education resources on Digital Technology Skills was developed comprising a wealth of information in over 250 slides. A summary is included as appendix 2. 60 SME’s/16 trainers were trained in its usage.A 2-day Age Friendly Product/service innovation bootcamp was developed. 67 SME’s took part in these bootcamps across the four regions and each received a bespoke commercialisation action plan. Our joint syllabus and bootcamp overview are included as Appendix 3 and 3b respectively.An online collaborative exchange platform was developed and over 250 users engaged in its implementation. The work based learning toolkit, the full suite of IO2 materials, information relating to IO3, summaries of our regional plans and much more are available on the collaborative platform www.agefriendlyeconomy.eu Impact As stated previously, this project is transformative in three main ways, directly tackling key challenges associated with growing the Silver Economy and deficits within the industry. First, it updates the skills of businesses’ staff; ensuring companies have capacity to adapt to changing consumer demand and behaviour. Second, it improves competitiveness through innovative work-based and lifelong learning programmes. Third, it promotes the commercialisation of innovative products and services to meet growing demand. Age Friendly Economy has drawn together organisations through establishing enduring local learning and employer networks and through Strategic Road Maps for Regional WBL and promoting wider impacts across the EU and beyond. Increased numbers of participants will enhance their potential through the acquisition of new skills and training. This will lead to improved productivity and increased commercialisation by SMEs. The project has been successful in responding to a genuine need experienced by partner organisations in the education, entrepreneurship support, voluntary and economic development sectors who will benefit from using the outputs and sustaining the impacts of the project in the long term. Our independent post project evaluation report is included at appendix 4.

see above

"<< Background >>The new Green Paper on Aging (COM 2021_50) confirmed the increased need for health care and other assistance or support services by EU seniors as a consequence of demographic changes and aging.This is a huge challenge: looking ahead, resources are scarce, the available workforce is dwindling. Many of the technological innovations behind telemedicine, whose spread has been accelerated by COVID19, are facilitating the massive digital transition in this sector by making it economically sustainable for the future. It was already an ongoing process, but the COVID outbreak and the consequent ""spaced"" care needs have given a strong push to the birth of Housing Care, Long-Term Care (LTC) for elderly in autonomous housing contexts (housing) and / or in residential forms economically sustainable (co-housing), alternatives to traditional residences for elderly. Even though residences for elderly remain, they tend to transform themselves. Today, Housing Care makes possible healthy aging based on ""person centered"" care with the support of technologies that can lead to change care needs, with consequent improvement in the quality of life for elderly person and mitigation of the pressure on spending.Elder Personal Care Workers (hereafter Care Workers) active in home care for the elderly make up the majority of the LTC workforce (70%) and have very low job entry requirements. Half of them work at home. (OECD, Who cares? Attracting and retaining care workers for the elderly, 2020, p .. 18, EU, CC4HCA, 2016, p. 54). In many EU countries it is required that they have a minimum level of education. (OECD, idem, p. 14). While most technologies are currently simple, such as smartphones, alarm systems, sensors and GPS monitors, after COVID19 more sophisticated devices such as surveillance robots, remote healthcare systems, comprehensive technologies such as self-sufficient smart homes are starting to appear (EIT Health, Health Skills of the Future: the EIT Health Education Needs Analysis, Discussion Paper, 2018). They don’t replace operators who play an irreplaceable role in human interaction (Personal Care) but make diagnosis and therapies possible at home rather than in a facility.The project faces the following problem: employed Care Workers, the project's Target Group, have no longer an adequate skill set. There are two simultaneous trends, ""digitalization"" and ""person centred care"" of he elderly. So they are at risk of moving into unemployment position. This also leads to strong negative impacts in the elder care system. The data says: - There are many Care Workers who have never used Ambient Assisted Living or telemedicine technologies;- Care Workers have difficulty getting up to speed in these specific skill areas;- Technologies are many and different each other; VET provider partners have difficulty in providing organic training on them, and do not know exactly which levels of mastery are required for Care Workers;- On the market there is a shortage of such Care Workers in the countries involved (OECD, Who Cares.., 2020).After an in-depth analysis, the following needs emerged:- Need for support employed care workers in adapting their skill set; that can reduce their risk of unemployment and the risk of being inadequate in the provision of emerging and sustainable Elder Care services. - Need for a flexible access to training solutions that fit with the status of women workers (especially in the care worker LANGUAGE). -need for organic training solutions that include the possibility for care workers to learn how the main current technologies work.- Need for VET provider partners to provide organic training offers on the humanized use of AAL&E-Health technologies for elderly. - Need of Elder Care providers for support in developing a workforce that will enable them to innovate in Elder CAre services.<< Objectives >>The overall objective of the project is to contribute to reduce the risk of unemployment of Elder Care Providers and to make the European Elder Care system sustainable.The aging of the population increases the need for Elder Care services. However, there is a decreasement in the available workforce. It is therefore mandatory to take advantage of the benefits offered by technology.This situation makes necessary to eliminate any risk of inadequacy of active care-workers. The risk is not only their unemployment but also the crisis of the Elder Care and Long Term Care European system.Specific objectives of the project are:(a) Developed adequate levels of knowledge and skills in the humanized (person centred) use of AAL or E-Health technologies by Care Workers;b) Updated the competences of care workers to the evolving needs of their work.The diffusion of Ambient Assisted Living and E-Health technologies makes the Elder Care system sustainable; moreover it makes necessary the development of specific competences in the USE OF TECHNOLOGIES by Care Workers. Moreover, care workers must develop skills for a ""HUMANIZED"" use of these technologies. This ensures the growth of the quality life of elderly. In this way care workers can make solid their skills profile and they can be prepared for further up-skilling, perhaps in the direction of an higher level of cooperation with Artificial Intelligence. c) VET provider partners have developed the capacity to implement organic training on the use of humanized AAL or E-Health technologies that are appropriate and attractive to women workers;VET providers have the ambition to increasingly develop and/or improve their capacity to create training offers appropriate to the transitions and changes generated by economic cycles. In the CVET context, this capacity have positive effects toward female workers and organizations/businesses (in our case Elder Care providers). This capacity relates to:- creating the right combination of skills,- creating the right mix of teaching methods,- creating the conditions to make re-skilling compatible with the needs of the employed condition.This capacity is then used by VET providers for other areas as well. d) Elder care providers have developed the capacity to match new market needs in terms of quality and quantity through appropriate skills of care workers.Elder Care providers develop the capacity to provide updated services in the marketplace thanks to well-skilled staff. Elder Care providers will thus be able to offer a more effective and cheap service (thanks to the use of technology) that enhances the quality of life and well-being of elderly.<< Implementation >>The activities to be implemented are the following:A1 HUMAN-DIGIT ELDER CARE MOOC DEVELOPMENTA1.1 Definition of Learning outcomes (LOs) A 1.2 Creation of MOOC framework in line with the references of the updated EQAVET+ frameworkA1.3 Implementation of training contents - it will involve two different modes:i. implementation of new contentsii. identification and selection of already available open educational resources A1.4 Definition of learning environment with the involvement of care workersA1.5 Translation of contents: MOOC contents will be translated in all partners' languages.A1.6 Pre-test: a direct pre-test will be carried out to 24 care workers.A2: HUMAN-DIGIT WORK BASED TOOLKIT DEVELOPMENTA2.1 WBL trainer curriculum design C1A2.2 Training materials and guides used to train WBL trainers design C1 Direct training to trainers on tutoring in the WBL pathway. A2.3 Self-assessment tool design A2.4 Learning units and tools design A3: PILOT TEST HUMAN-DIGIT ELDER CARE MOOC & HUMAN-DIGIT WORK BASED TOOLKITA3.1 Launch and collection of subscritions to the MOOCA3.2 Use of training contents support A3.3 Learning evaluation based on the evaluation process and tools that will be implemented.A3.4 Learning certificationA3.5 Involvement of care-workers and trainers who have used the MOOC in the WBL process. A3.6 Launch of Digit-human Work Based learning pathwayA3.7 Skills developed assessmentA3.8 Evaluation of the effectiveness of learning solutions A3.9 Development of a permanent cooperation partnershipA4: PROJECT MANAGEMENTA4.1 Development of project activity deployment sheetsA4.2 Monitoring and evaluation, control and management of progress activities, timing, costs and technical performance, quality controlA4.3 Partnership management, facilitation and support in cooperation A5 DISSEMINATIONA5.1 Time planning and distribution of internal communication and dissemination activitiesA5.2 Implementation of internal communication and dissemination activitiesA5.3 Evaluation of adopted strategy4 Multiplier Events, project website, social profiles will be implemented.<< Results >>The project will deliver 2 project results:PR1 Human-Digit MOOC; It is an up-skilling course that provides Care Workers with the basics of supporting and caring elderly also through the inclusion AAL&E-Health technologies. Care Workers, at the end of the MOOC will be able to:- test AAL & E-Health devices to assist and take care of elderly;- practice assistance and care interventions through the use of these technologies, integrated with a strong humanized component;- manage the multi-functionality of devices at a basic level;- understand and use some of the data produced by the technologies. The MOOC consists of: I. TRAINING CONTENTS AREA. They are organized into the following training units:1) AAL&E-Health technologies and devices for elderly. 2) Human Care Mindset for the approach to the work through the use of assistive technologies3) Self-Assessment and DevelopmentII. TOOLS. Videos (tutorials, animations, virtual reality spots, etc.), texts (short presentations, in-depth articles, handouts, web hypertexts), infographics, instruction manuals, tutorial forms, bibliography, sitography, videography, case studiesIII. LEARNING ENVIRONMENT. A co-created learning environment will be made available on the public platform of the partner Momentuum.PR2 Human-Digit WBL ToolkitThe digital toolkit contains a set of useful tools for designing and implementing hands-on learning activities addessed to Care Workers to be implemented in a work-based pathway.It will include contents, activities and tools also addressed to trainers who will support the care workers in the work-based learning experience.It will contain:- The curriculum for training trainers (C1).- Training materials and Guides used to train trainers during C1- Tutoring guidelines (process, monitoring and support tools, skills certification, self-assessment and Quality assessment);- Training materials that care workers use in the WBL pathway:A) Practice guide on the use of Smart and Ambient Assisted Living technologies.B) Practical guide on social & emotional skills integrated with technological skills. - Self-assessment tool.- Two Work-Based Learning Units for Care Workers.- Guidelines on Quality Assessment and Self-Assessment.There is also a functional LTTA for the development of Outcome 2 (PR2). It is addressed to the staff trainers of the partners who will be the tutors in the WBL pathways.The results will be disseminated through the main Dissemination tools (Multiplier Events, project website and social channels). The project aims to implement also a set of tangible intermediate results:- Training contents translated into different country languages;- Trainer Curriculum- Two Practical Guides on Human-Digital competencies- Two WBL Learning Units for Care Workers with related content and tools- WBL Quality Guidelines aligned with the EQAVET+ framework - Evaluation report on effectiveness and quality of the implemented solutions- Future cooperation agreementSome intangible outcomes are:1. Developed WBL tutoring and WBL instructional design skills by trainers (C1);2. Developed skills with high level of Human-Digit mastery in the use of AAL-E-Health technologies for elderly by Care Workers;3. Developed the capacity of VET providers to implement organic training on the use of AAL or E-Health technologies for elderly that are appropriate and attractive to care workers; 4. Developed permanent European cooperation between Partners, Associated Partners and other organizations on the topic of innovation in Elder Care skills of care workers.5. Developed the capacity of Elder Care providers to cover the new market needs in terms of quality and quantity, thanks to adequate skills of care workers."

As Europe isolates due to Covid19, the wellbeing cost on our population is yet to be determined. Huge and overwhelming worries envelop our communities, sudden unemployment, weakened social institutions and eroded social capital. Mental health support services are preparing for an unprecedented spike in demand. A study in The Lancet confirms that the loss of liberty, fear of infection and length of separation creates an environment conducive to post-traumatic stress, detachment, insomnia and anger - “the psychological impact of quarantine is wide-ranging, substantial, and can be long-lasting.”Social Prescribing is a powerful, proven community mechanism to improve the physical, emotional, mental wellbeing of adults by connecting them to non-medical community-based sources of supports. While the benefits of social prescribing are vast and the process relatively simple, social prescribing is still a relatively unknown community approach to embedding life-long learning as a resource for living. Using a cross sectoral, transnational approach, Activate Social Prescribing for Community Learning (ASPALE) promotes the principle of social prescribing to key adult education groups across the EU. A key impact of APSALE is the introduction and uptake of the social prescribing approach in 3 countries where it is currently just a concept - Greece, Spain & France and widening its practice in UK/Northern Ireland and Ireland.ASPALE PROJECT OBJECTIVES are directly linked to the needs of our target groups. ASPALE will:1) Introduce the powerful health and wellbeing concept of Social Prescribing as a lifelong learning tool in Europe 2) Empower at risk adults to improve their health literacy & take responsibility for their own health (IO2). Effective social prescribing is about providing the building blocks for personal learning & knowledge application in a wellbeing context. 3) Create tailored guides & supports (IO1, IO3, IO4) for social prescribing implementers to help them understand &embed social prescribing in their work4) Facilitate sustainable links between key local & regional social prescribing organisations via creating 5 ASPALE PARTICIPANT FORUMSEach ASPALE IO is designed to be used as an independent resource, but collectively, they are a 360 degree adult education initiative to empower and equip vulnerable adults, community care providers, health and care practices and social/cultural educators to understand and embed social prescribing in their work/offering. IO1: Health Literacy Empowerment Guide for Adults. A self-care guide to empower adults (particularly those suffering from poor mental health) to make sound health and wellbeing decisions and improve their personal responsibility and independence in everyday life - at home, in the community, at the workplace. It will improve the health literacy of at least 1,000 adults in vulnerable positions (those suffering from loneliness, depression or other issues such as social isolation). They will download or receive our ASPALE Adult Health Literacy Guide, a practical action orientated learning resource that will enable them to start making positive and pro-active decisions about their wellbeing and health.IO2: Compendium of Social Prescribing Community Care Projects. A Compendium and Implementation Guide of European Social Prescribing Best Practices and Inventions e.g Men’s Sheds, Social Farming, Community Gardening. At least 500 Community Care Organisations will download and use IO2 and begin the process of embedding social prescribing in their work with adults IO3: Social Prescribing Training Programme/OERs for Health and Care Practices. An Open Education Resource Pack for to upskill Health and Care practitioners with applied knowledge to embed social prescribing in their work with vulnerable adults. At least 500 practitioners will download and use IO3 and begin the process of embedding social prescribing in their work with adults IO4: Introduction to Social Prescribing Course for Social/Cultural Service educators. A training course on how to create new or tailored social /cultural adult education offerings e.g. art/creative wellbeing workshops, drama therapy, which uses storytelling, acting, and improvisation to encourage self-discovery and expression, music therapy, that deliver socially prescribed health and wellbeing benefits. At least 500 Social, Arts and Cultural Educators will download and use IO4 and begin the process of embedding social prescribing in their work with adults Activate Social Prescribing for Community Learning (ASPALE) provide a dynamic multi-resource adult education community learning programme to raise awareness, engagement and adoption of Social Prescribing across Europe. COVID19 is certain to cause long-term isolation, anxiety, depression and loneliness. We do not know when this crisis will end but we do know that new and varied social solutions are going to be required to help Europe and its citizens heal.