Northern Periphery Programme

Our Life as Elderly

Measure: 3.2
Eligible Budget: 1 288 495 euros
NPP Award: 706 311 euros

Current solutions for care of the elderly are largely based on ideas and procedures from the 50´s, 60´s and 70´s. Hence, there is a need to look at the ‘whole picture’ and take into account the demographic changes that have occurred in recent years, particularly with relevance to the Northern Periphery area. Through an interactive and continuous dialogue with the citizens of the partner areas, this project aims to determine the needs, wishes and requirements for the future care of the elderly in the next 10-15 years. Based on this dialogue, the project will help prepare local authorities and municipalities, and offer concrete tools to help meet common challenges faced by all partner regions. A focus will be placed on topics such as staff recruitment and development, technical support, organisational systems, and the consequences of a growing number of over 65s coupled with a corresponding fall in birth rates (meaning fewer young people to support those in retirement). This project aims not only to improve care for the elderly in northern areas, but also to enhance the competitive edge of these sparsely populated regions, in order to attract more inward investment. An important element of the project is the issue of care for the elderly in extreme rural areas, and through this dialogue it is hoped that a reasonable standard of social welfare can be achieved irrespective of population density.

Lead Organisation:
Lulea Kommun

Contact Person: Ms Marianne Pedersen Address: Administration of Social Service, Development Unit Lulea SE-971 07 Sweden	Telephone: +46(0) 920 29 4458 Fax: +46 (0) 920 43 5016 Email: marianne.Pedersen@soc.lulea.se Website: www.ourfuture.se
Start Date: 01/01/2004	End Date: 31/12/2006

Project Publications

OLE Brochure.pdf - 1868K
OLE Overview.pdf - 337K
OLE Presentation.pdf - 614K
Our Life as Elderly Case Study.pdf - 701K

Objectives

Our Life as Elderly aspires to prepare municipalities and develop concrete tools to meet common challenges in terms of staff recruitment and development, technical support, organizational systems etc, caused by elderly people and fewer young people to support them. A better care for our elderly aims not only to meet the challenge, but also to enhance the competitive edge of these sparsely populated regions to attract more inward investment.

Project Activities

The project’s main phases are as follows:
• Formation of project groups
• Establish a comprehensive picture of current position in each concerned field
• Establish understanding of best practice (during an intensive citizens dialogue)
• Analysis of current position in relation to desired position
• Determine effects and consequences from desired position in relation to current
• Producer modus operandi and time plan intended to implement findings
• General evaluation of project results and cost

Expected Results

• new organisational models for management and operations
• establishment of models for national and trans-national co-operation between groups concerned
• new networks for mutual benefit established and operating
• new technique for the care of elderly established and well spread
• co-operation between participating regions on a regular basis; common throughout all fields of elderly care
• working models for care of the elderly in smaller settlements and extreme rural areas
• increased attraction of these municipalities in relation to other regions and in a national comparison

Partners: (click name for additional info)

European Union

Cross Programme Initiatives