SHAFE implemented through NET4Age-Friendly
SHINE 2Europe
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Private sector
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#SDGAction33506
Description
A new concept was created in 2017 based on the desire to implement Smart Healthy Age-Friendly Environments (SHAFE) across Europe, fostering happier and healthier people in all communities. This idea took shape and became a solid movement. This is how SHAFE was born and further launched, as a Thematic Network, approved by the European Commission, with the ambition to draw policymakers, organisations and citizens’ attention to the need for better alignment between health, social care, built environments and ICT, both in policy and funding. Gathering over 160 organisations as partners, SHAFE delivered a Joint Statement and a Framing Paper to the EC and MS in 2018.
SHAFE is the conceptual basis of the Stakeholders Network and a broad myriad of projects that are implementing its different aspects (e.g. capacity building with BIG; training in HandsonShafe; regional cohesion with EU_SHAFE; solution development with Activas), being one of them NET4Age-Friendly, an international and interdisciplinary network of stakeholders from all sectors and the whole world to foster awareness, and to support the creation and implementation of smart, healthy indoor and outdoor environments for present and future generations. NET4Age-Friendly aims to overcome fragmentation and critical gaps at both conceptual and pragmatic innovation level on responsive, age-friendly and sustainable environments in order to address the research-policy future requirements of Europe. The main approach of NET4Age-Friendly is the establishment of new local or regional ecosystems or by expanding existing ones in each country involved, to work on health and wellbeing in an age-friendly digital world. The ecosystems consist of citizens, public authorities, businesses/NGOs and researchers and are supported by four thematic Working Groups: User-centred inclusive design in age-friendly environments and communities Integrated health and well-being pathways Digital solutions and large-scale sustainable implementation Policy development, funding forecast and cost-benefit evaluations The outcomes of the four thematic Working Groups derive to a 5th one, creating a synergised output - the Reference Framework. NET4 is funded with 600.000€ for 4 years and is used as a connector for involving local and regional stakeholders and users’ representatives from various countries and backgrounds, as well as for fostering knowledge creation and sharing among researchers.
To achieve the goals of healthy living, social inclusion and participation, the SHAFE Network focus on an enhancement of the major concept areas of People and Places and launched a pledge to involve (end)users from the beginning in any solutions, products and services, by adopting a co-creation, co-development and co-production methodology and recognise living and social environments as key building-blocks of any initiative. SHAFE’s Position Paper https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/news/smart-healthy-age-fr… handles the issues of coordination and implementation, ensuring a user-centred approach and provides indicators to measure progress and success on the realisation of safe and social SHAFE. Partners of the SHAFE Network and the COST Action NET4AGE-FRIENDLY had the opportunity to express their commitments in this Position Paper and to indicate their alignment and contributions.
SHAFE domains engage quintuple-helix stakeholders to prepare and offer integrated solutions. While working on the realisation of SHAFE practices in SMART, BUILT and HEALTHY environments, many constraints and challenges occur that have to be solved during the process such as regulation, funding, willingness of stakeholders. To overcome these issues, this engagement and connection between health and social care, local and regional organisations, housing companies and the building sector, ICT companies, third sector organisations and citizens needs to be coordinated and is the cornerstone of true transformation.
SHAFE and NET4Age-Friendly are international networks that work at all levels of society, such as citizens advocacy, universities, politics, public administration, entrepreneurs in different fields such as ICT, health and social care, building and construction companies, urban planners/architects. SHAFE and NET4 intrinsic aim is to promote the development of inclusive local, regional or national ecosystems (composed of a quadruple helix of citizens, public authorities, companies, and researchers) which interact and coordinate at the international level. This strategy allows them to literally become viral, by exponentially increasing the networking, the dissemination and knowledge exchange among scientists, business, public, local administrations, policy makers, professionals, and citizens. This brings an inspiring and fruitful new way of cooperation that fosters knowledge and promote grassroot implementation at a broader scale, combining top-down and bottom-up perspectives.
Smart Healthy Age-Friendly Environments - Policy recommendations of the thematic network SHAFE (103-108) – Authors: Dantas C, van Staalduinen W, et al, Jegundo A, Ganzarain J, Van der Mark M, Rodrigues F, Illario M, De Luca V. - https://www.unisa.it/uploads/14684/15.pdf Joint Statement on SHAFE – Authors: Carina Dantas, Willeke van Staalduinen, et al - https://en.caritascoimbra.pt/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2018/12/Joint-S… https://www.net4age.eu/ https://shine2.eu/networks/ https://www.afedemy.eu/
The meaning and notion of SHAFE as a holistic approach that promotes the alignment of policies and strategies is a unique roadmap for the implementation in and across Europe. When we acknowledge the serious challenges, especially those related to demographic change and the COVID-19 pandemic, it is not possible anymore to still work in silos or to keep positions for individual interest. Before any other role, we all are citizens and we have a duty as to work together in a bid for a better world. COVID has not directly impacted the implementation of SHAFE, au contraire, the inclusive environments proposed by SHAFE would be adequate solutions to minimise the effects of the pandemic and relieve the pressure on health and care systems.
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SHAFE needs a multi-faceted approach and multiple stakeholders to become really implemented. Single players are not enough to realize social inclusion and healthy lives for all. Therefore, we involve a broad network of stakeholders: varying from older and younger citizens, to businesses, financers, NGOs and public authorities. The SHAFE Network gathers around 180 organisations and NET4 nearly 300 stakeholders.
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Carina, Smart Healthy Age-Friendly Environments