Coastal regions in the 2 Seas Area have to deal with specific challenges in relation to ageing as they are confronted with a particular mix of ageing people.
This not only includes local elderly, but also the influx of ageing newcomers and visitors of an increasing average age. As this population puts pressure on health and social care systems, it is essential to enable them to stay active and independent for longer, to improve their wellbeing and quality of life to reduce costs and pressures on care systems.
Using concepts of social innovation and co-creation, SAIL has initiated 11 projects to get the older generation moving. New partnerships between health and leisure sectors will work with older people taking part in these projects to ensure the initiative responds efficiently to their needs.
SAIL, which runs until 2020, is funded by the European Commission and comprised of team members from the Netherlands, Belgium, France and the UK.
The BU SAIL project team consists of Professor Ann Hemingway and Dr Holly Crossen White of the Faculty for Health and Social Science and Professor Adele Ladkin of the Bournemouth University Business School.
Unlike other SAIL partners, the project team at Bournemouth University are not delivering any initiatives to older people. Instead, they are drawing together the learning from all initiatives to manage a feasibility study for this international project. This study will, for example, assess the contribution to healthy ageing or viability of business and service models – paving the way for wider-scale implementation.
The BU team are using the Expertise Management Methodology (EMM) which has been developed to explore and access complex real-life initiatives such as these. SAIL is proud to work with Professor Hans de Bruin, of HZ University of Applied Sciences, in the Netherlands, in using EMM assessment.
To find out more about the SAIL Project visit: www.interreg2seas.eu/sail
