European Commission once again distinguishes Algarve in Active and Healthy Aging

Algarve had already been distinguished as a Reference Center for Active and Healthy Aging in 2019

The Algarve was once again distinguished by the European Commission as a Reference Center for Active and Healthy Aging, now with a maximum rating of 4 stars. 

At the ceremony that took place this Monday, October 10th, in Brussels, Sandra Pais, professor at the Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UAlg and coordinator of Algarve Active Aging – Reference Center for Active and Healthy Aging / EIP – AHA, presented a communication entitled “Training Nursing Home Professionals to work in context of the pandemic”.

Aquiles Marreiros, representative of CCDR-Algarve, also participated in a roundtable on the theme “Aligning regional policies and priorities for the development of smart, healthy and age-friendly environments”.

From the Algarve region, Nuno Marques, president of ABC, Filomena Sintra, vice-president of the Municipality of Castro Marim and Vítor Aleixo, president of the Municipality of Loulé, were also present at the ceremony.

In 2019, the Algarve Region had already been distinguished as a Reference Center for Active and Healthy Aging, recognized by the European Partnership for Innovation in Active and Healthy Aging (EIP – AHA) of the European Commission. However, it went from one star to the maximum score of 4 stars.

This recognition results from the application coordinated by Sandra Pais, professor at the Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences of the University of Algarve, on behalf of the Region, within the scope of the CENIE and PSL Projects (INTERREG VA projects, Spain-Portugal – POCTEP, 2014-2020, financed by the European Regional Development Fund – ERDF), and led jointly with CCDR Algarve.

In a note, the University of Algarve emphasizes that the Algarve Active Aging-A3 is a consortium of numerous organizations from the perspective of the quadruple helix (academy, governance, companies and civil society), which work collaboratively in the development of innovative solutions that may have impact on populations.

«This consortium is a catalyst for the creation of positive synergies between the various partners, with the aim of establishing a comprehensive and innovation-based approach to active and healthy aging in the Algarve Region», he continues.

Thus, the maximum recognition of 4 stars was achieved based on the good practices that the various regional entities have developed in the context of the promotion of active and healthy aging, gathered in the Best Practices Award 2022 Algarve Active Aging – A3, which took place on the 18th of December. March and featured 55 good practices from 167 promoters and co-promoters from the 16 municipalities in the Algarve, distributed across four categories: health, inclusive territory, cohesion and social participation and gray economy.

Ualg stresses that «it is important to highlight the role that the Portugal Inovação Social, Cresc Algarve, Portugal 2020 and Poctep programs played in financing many of the good practices as well as the municipalities in the region that are co-financing many of them».

The ABC – Algarve Biomedical Center was, according to the UAlg, «a key element in supporting active and healthy ageing, namely for the multiple responses it promoted in the fight against Covid-19, which allowed the Algarve region to have one of the best responses to national level and that many of the good practices implemented in the fight against the pandemic would be replicated by other regions».

According to Sandra Pais, coordinator of the candidacy, «the challenge of maintaining the work and synergies between the various regional institutions remains, always focusing on the premise of working together, academia, governance, companies and civil society, to find new and better answers and services for the population of the Algarve, which respond to their needs throughout the vibRU cycle.



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