Wellbeing and healthy choices for older adults and their carers (WHOLE)

Basic data for this project

Type of project: EU-project hosted at University of Münster
Duration: 01/09/2015 - 31/08/2018

Description

Active aging is one of the greatest social challenges facing society in Germany and throughout Europe. Despite proven effects of physical activity and healthy nutrition on physical health and well-being across the lifespan, many older people are less physically active. In addition to personal reasons for inactivity, there is also a lack of suitable and target-group-specific offers in some cases. For example, many clubs already offer a variety of activities for (still mobile) older people or home residents. On the other hand, those who need care for various reasons and are cared for at home by their family or an outpatient care service are not taken into account. This is where the project idea of the EU project "Whole - Wellbeing and healthy choices for older adults and their carers" comes in. The project will develop an e-learning platform to promote a healthy and active lifestyle for professional caregivers, family caregivers and care recipients. The goal is for caregivers to implement physical activity and healthy eating into their daily (care) routine for themselves and for those they care for. Information and examples on physical activity and healthy nutrition in care are provided online in an e-learning platform. In a first step, the wishes and needs of the care recipients and the caregivers are recorded in individual interviews and focus groups. These are taken into account when planning the content, as are current scientific findings. After the content has been created and integrated into the e-learning platform, the platform will be implemented in Germany, Austria, Ireland, Bulgaria, Greece and Israel and tested for feasibility and effectiveness in two pilot studies. To ensure the sustainability of the project and the product, a market study will be conducted in parallel.

Keywords: Active Ageing; health promotion; physical activity; nutrition counselling; e-learning; formal and informal carer; people in need of care