Ecosystem for an age-friendly village

Purpose and goal

The aim of the project is to address the demographic challenge, where the proportion of people over the age of 80 is expected to increase by 40 per cent in Sweden – while the proportion of people of working age is expected to increase by only 4 percent. As a small rural municipality, Vingåker has particularly major challenges linked to demographic development. The municipality has a high proportion of residents who are 65+ in combination with low socioeconomics while the number of people of working age is decreasing. In reality, the figures mean a shortage of labour in health and social care. The goal of the project is to establish an ecosystem for an age-friendly community in Vingåker, where all parts of the municipality´s operations, civil society, academia and partner companies work together to enable the individual to age healthily, delay the need for health and social care, and optimize the performance of health and social care.

Expected effects and result

The overall impact goals of the project are: Vingåker will be an age-friendly district in 2031 The project is divided into the following sub-goals and results: • A social ecosystem for an age-friendly district has been introduced • A digital ecosystem for an age-friendly district has been introduced • There are decided municipal strategies, action plans and adapted working methods to become an age-friendly municipality • There are developed business models for the dissemination of the project´s results • Reports have been produced to disseminate the project´s success keys and methods

Planned approach and implementation

The project´s solution hypothesis is based on strengthening the individual through early support, which contributes to improved health and thus reduces or shifts the need for health and social care. The project is aimed at both seniors who do not have support from the municipality and at individuals with support from home care services. The digital solutions will make it easier for older people to be independent, maintain abilities, reduce the risk of involuntary loneliness, maintain health and enable them to remain in their own homes, as well as lowering the thresholds for the use of digital solutions and welfare technology. We are transforming home care and introducing digital solutions that together will contribute to increased quality, an improved work environment and freed up time for staff to work in nursing. We work to reduce digital exclusion, involuntary loneliness, develop support for relatives and extend independence among older people through social structures around the individual and in society. We will also develop a municipality-wide strategy for an age-friendly district that includes the municipality´s various activities. The solutions we develop will be disseminated to other municipalities via business models, products and services for dissemination via the project´s private parties. Through research and evaluation as methods in the project, success keys for the implementation and further development of solutions can be continuously followed up. The project´s collective experience will result in reports for further dissemination of the project´s results.