NETWORKS

SHAFE – Stakeholders Network on Smart, Healthy Age-Friendly Environments
A new concept was created since 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.

SHAFE began as a Thematic Network, proposed by Cáritas Coimbra and AFEdemy, approved by the European Commission, to draw policy makers, organisations and citizens’ attention to the need of better alignment between health, social care, built environments and ICT, both in policy and funding and delivered a Joint Statement and a Framing Paper in December 2018 to the European Commission and Member States.

After this, SHAFE evolved to a European Stakeholders Network, which currently has over 170 partner organisations and is coordinated by Carina Dantas and Willeke van Staalduinen.

It is working to achieve better COOPERATION and IMPLEMENTATION, as the major challenges for the next period, as stated in the Position Paper released in 2020, with recommendations that aim to promote healthier environments for all citizens and make environments accessible, sustainable and reachable for all, with the support of ICT.

The scenario during 2021 is an opportunity for the digital revolution to be well thought and implemented, if all the adequate challenges are well considered and tackled.

The Smart Healthy Age-Friendly Environments Network will thus focus on the narrative, debate, disclosure and knowledge translation of smart digital solutions and of solutions to optimize the physical and social environments of individuals in a concerted manner, bringing together also the domains of health and social care.  The Position Paper provides indicators to measure progress and success on the realization of SHAFE.

Other resources available:
Joint Statement summary
Message from the President of the Portuguese Republic supporting the European Network SHAFE
SHAFE summary for 2020
European Commission announcement of SHAFE Kick-off