SHAPES Project (2019-2023)

 

Disclaimer: The content in Sign Language has been produced and provided by The European Union of the Deaf (EUD)).

Below you will find a video on the SHAPES Project in International Sign with English subtitling.

 

 

Background information

In 2019 the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared 2020-2030 the decade of Healthy Ageing.

SHAPES is a broad initiative to encompass the needs and expectations of older adults, a population group that, according to the United Nations, grows 3% on average per year.

 

Current 25% of the population is represented by older people, according to the United Nations (UN). That’s why SHAPES project works on long-term sustainability of health and care systems in Europe.

SHAPES (Smart and Health Ageing through People Engaging in Supportive Systems) is an Innovation Action funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme involving a total of 14 European countries, including SHAPES’s member countries include Ireland, Belgium, Greece, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, United Kingdom, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Germany.

SHAPES Large-scale Piloting campaign engages more than 2000 older individuals in 15 pilot sites in 10 EU Member States, including 6 Reference Sites of the European Innovation Partnership (EIP) on Active and Healthy Ageing (AHA), and involves hundreds of key stakeholders to bring forth solutions to improve the health, wellbeing, independence and autonomy of older individuals, while enhancing the long-term sustainability of health and care systems in Europe.

It intends to build, pilot and deploy a large-scale, EU-standardised open platform. The integration of a broad range of technological, organisational, clinical, educational and societal solutions seeks to facilitate long-term healthy and active ageing and the maintenance of a high-quality standard of life. Mediated by technology, in-home and local community environments interact with health and care (H&C) networks contributing to the reduction of H&C costs, hospitalisations and institutional care.

This integrated IT platform will bring together user led digital solutions centred around the home and community to improve the health, well-being, and independence of people as they get older.

This platform will offer a network of digital services and products, that will empower older adults, families and caregivers, to solve real and meaningful problems. These solutions are intended for older adults facing physical or psychological impairments, but also to help those who are healthy to maintain their health and well-being for as long as possible.

SHAPES will foster European industry and policymakers to successfully face the challenges of an aging population. In addition, it will favour the development of value-based business models that focus on digital health and care solutions and services.

 

The SHAPES consortium is formed by 36 partners from 14 European countries

It is led by the ALL (Assisting Living & Learning) Institute at University of Maynooth, Ireland.

 

The project will last 48 months (from November 2019 to October 2023). These solutions will be tested by more than 2,000 older adults involved in SHAPES, to ensure that they are meaningful and suitable for users from different countries and cultures.

 It will involve the creation of a digital platform, as well as the development and improvement of 15 technological and social solutions. These solutions will be tested by more than 2,000 older adults across the countries involved in SHAPES, to ensure they adapt to users from different countries and cultures. SHAPES provides for the collection and analysis of participants’ health, environmental and lifestyle experiences, in order to identify needs and provide personalized solutions.

Apart from such EU wide interdisciplinary consortium with blended expertise, SHAPES will also involve hundreds of professionals from different areas of knowledge and practice, including health and social care, government, academia and industry. With an investment of almost 21 million €, SHAPES is a broad initiative to encompass the needs and expectations of older adults, a population group that, according to the United Nations, grows 3% on average per year.

Overall project value is of 20,944,318.75€ of which 18,732,468.25€ is direct EU contribution.

WFDB’s role in project

WFDB has different roles in the project which are, amongst others, to:

• Bring to SHAPES the perspective of the deafblind community through consultations, focus groups, interviews, etc.
• Coordinate and facilitate the participation of persons with deafblindness across Europe into the project, ensuring the diversity of the communication systems and accessibility needs is showcased
• Contribute with the unique knowledge and understanding of persons with deafblindness and their diverse needs, when it comes to technology and accessibility, using the CRPD as a basis
• Coordinate with WFDB members, including EDbU and other national or local organisations of persons with deafblindness the involvement of older persons with deafblindness in different indicatives such as workshops and pilot testing
• Ensure the overall accessibility and inclusivity of project, resources and deliverables, making sure they are inclusive of persons with deafblindness
• Disseminate the results, data collected from the project and showcase the reality of older persons in Europe through different information channels such as articles and report, as well as social media, website, etc.

General objectives

WFDB has different objectives in the project which are, amongst others, to:

• Raise awareness on deafblindness as a unique disability and its diversity, and importance of customised support and access to technological assistance and digital accessibility
• Participate in the creation and testing of innovative technology improve the life of older persons with deafblindness and prevent isolation of persons with deafblindness, with better participation, integration and visibility in society
• Collect data on the situation and realities of older persons with deafblindness
• Be involved in all key processes of the project
• Advocate for inclusion and accessibility using the CRPD as a basis

Project involvement in a nutshell

• WFDB is involved in 7 out of 10 Work Packages (WP) and participates extensively in WP2 and in WP3
• Within WP6, on the SHAPES large-scale piloting activities, WFDB participates in Task 6.8 focused on the mobility and accessibility of older individuals and in Task 6.10 addressing the inclusion element of the SHAPES solutions.
• WFDB takes part in Task 7.2 on the socio-economic sustainability and funding models of the new health and care delivery in Europe, WP9 – Ecosystem Building and to WP10 – SHAPES Outreach and Awareness Generation activities

Activities carried out by WFDB within the project

WFDB has carried out different activities since the start of the project, which include:

• The creation of a fictional profile of a “persona” with deafblindness to reflect the reality of the needs of many older persons with deafblindness, which is used as an example to ensure the digital solutions and platform is inclusive of the deafblind community
• The publication of internal reports highlighting accessibility issues and recommendations for SHAPES consortium on how to make information and events accessible for all
• Continuos assessment on SHAPES resources and all promotional materials such as website, newsletter, workshop, videos, flyers, etc.
• Coordination of interviews and focus groups with persons with deafblindness to showcase the barriers and good practices in technology and accessibility
• Organisation of 1st and 2nd technical workshop on the SHAPES project with WFDB General Assembly representatives to ensure ownership in December 2021 and July 2022
• Raise awareness beyond Europe on the SHAPES project in different events, for example a capacity building workshop on Deafblindness in Kenya in November 2021
• We authored or co-authored several publications: 2 SHAPES stories (on topics such as the red and white cane and the importance of interpreter-guide services), 2 academic articles, reports (i.e: friendly neighborhoods, digital and physical accessibility, etc)
• Three persons with deafblindness have participated as speakers or moderators in SHAPES Dialogue workshops

Barriers encountered within the project

The main barriers encountered so far include, in some cases:

• SHAPES partners lacked disability awareness
• Lack of accessible resources (promotional materials, events, deliverables) and/or inclusive language
• WFDB was not always involved from the beginning in some processes (I.e: the organisation of workshops, development of digital solutions)
• General lack of awareness on what deafblindness is, and that it is a distinct disability, often assuming it’s a homogenous group
• Difficulties in providing feedback where relevant, and lack of initiative from partners
• Not all components to SHAPES are currently accessible (past deliverables, digital solutions, etc)

Way forward

• 6th online SHAPES Dialogue Workshop
• Collaboration with Agile Ageing Alliance (AAA) on an ISO Standard
• 2nd Global WFDB Report on the situation of persons with deafblindness to be published at the end of 2022 will include a section on older persons and the SHAPES Project
• An academic article will be published in 2023 which includes qualitative data on older persons with deafblindness, in collaboration with Maynooth University
• 3rd WFDB SHAPES Technical Workshop to be held in 2023
• Final WFDB Project report focusing on the situation of older persons with deafblindness

Why is SHAPES an example of a good practice?

• The project aims to create an accessible open platform and digital solutions that could be useful also to persons with deafblindness
• Two organisations of persons with disabilities are involved in the project, in all key processes
• It mainstreams disability in topics related to health, aging and technology
• It connects the disability community, with hundreds of key stakeholders around the EU
• Direct involvement and participation of end users with different types of disabilities (including deafblindness)
• Increased awareness on disability, deafblindness, accessibility and universal design both internally within SHAPES and externally
• Collects data and information on older persons with disabilities, and more specifically, persons with deafblindness

SHAPES and COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has :

• Created opportunities to learn from the impact of COVID-19 on older people.
• Created opportunities to build systems that centre around individuals living in their own communities and homes.
• Contributed to the creation of forward looking public health policy – enabling prevention and improved management of health conditions.
• Allowed solutions such as SHAPES improve the management of future global health crises.
• Read the joint publication: COVID-19 as social disability – the opportunity of social empathy for empowerment

More information

• Contact person inside WFDB: Lucia D’Arino (projects@wfdb.eu)
• Offical website: www.shapes2020.eu
• Twitter: @H2020Shapes
• SHAPES page: Maynooth University
• UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

More information on the official SHAPES website