On June 20th, SHINE 2Europe, represented by its project director Natália Machado, had the privilege of participating in the seminar “Double Helix of Care: in the Community and in Organizations – Showcase of Programs and Practices for Longevity,” held in Leiria and organized by Aproximar, a Social Innovation Cooperative from Portugal. This event was a great opportunity to understand better the latest challenges and innovative practices in the field of ageing.
The seminar opened with a panel discussion on “The Role of Organizational Leadership in Change Management,” moderated by Maria Ana Gonçalves, Project Manager in the Active Ageing and Dependent Care Sector at Aproximar.
The second session was the panel “Fostering a Sense of Community to ‘Age in the Right Place,'” where SHINE 2Europe shared experiences about the importance of the community setting to improve the ageing experience.
SHINE presented the Social Innovation Framework, a key output of the SIRENE project, inspired in the overall SHAFE methodology. The presentation emphasized the importance of networking with stakeholders from the quadruple helix model and highlighted how this approach can empower local social innovators. The goal is to increase awareness of social innovation concepts, methods, and skills among various innovation actors to deliver better environments for active and healthy living.
The seminar was a great platform to discuss how to incorporate co-creation methodologies and involve older adults actively in their care processes, delivering good suggestions and opinions that will be leveraged by SIRENE. It provided an excellent exchange of experiences and insights, proving crucial for understanding both local and national challenges.