The Netherlands is not the only country with a rapidly ageing population. Other nations with good access to healthcare and positive lifestyle choices, are also experiencing increases in longevity. This situation, coupled with a decrease in the number of births, has created an urgent need to strengthen health eco-systems and find innovative ways of providing support to older people, especially those choosing to live at home.
HAAL – Healthy Ageing Eco-system for People with Dementia
Senior Researcher and e-Health expert at Vilans, Dr. Nap is working with like-minded experts and organisations on a new international project that will bring together EU nations with other countries to find effective ways to support people with dementia in their daily lives. The project, known as HAAL (Healthy Ageing Eco-system for People with Dementia), is part of the EU Active Assisted Living programme (AAL) and will run from 2021 to 2023. It is being carried out in partnership with Canada, Taiwan, and soon, Italy and Denmark.
The aim of HAAL is to learn from one another’s health eco-systems to find innovative ways to support people with dementia in the various stages, beginning with light memory loss, to mild dementia, mid-stage dementia and finally advanced dementia.
Dr. Nap was speaking at the recent Taiwan and South-Korea Business Week organised by De Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland (RVO). He emphasised the need to share knowledge and collaborate on solutions that will improve the quality of care and help support older people to live more independently in their own homes. The HAAL project partners will share knowledge, exchange business opportunities, and help find the best solutions suited to the different cultures and needs.
The Taiwan and South-Korea Business Week took place from the 2nd to 5th March and featured over 230 participants from four different sectors. All the sessions are published on the RVO’s YouTube Channel.
