T.A.A.F.E aims at enhancing the capacities of public authorities and service providers in the Alpine Space to develop sustainable age-friendly environments.

An increasing number of older people (19.5% 65+) in the Alpine Space poses a challenge to the delivery of adequate and economically sustainable services (especially care) in both urban and rural areas (DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGES IN THE ALPS, Alpine conventions, 2015). At the same time, an ageing population suffers is affected by declining social cohesion in emigration zones, where youth are leaving and local social focal points are diminishing, leading to loneliness and little or no perspectives for older people to “age in place”.

Ageing of society is a common challenge for municipalities in the Alpine Space, although to a different extent. Consequently, transnational cooperation in the Alpine Space is necessary to bring expertise in that field to Alpine countries.  In the project the Model for Age friendly Environments (WHO) will be adapted to Alpine specifics, employing innovative participatory methods (working with, not only for older people) in various domains of their life (i.e., personal contacts, housing, transport).Municipalities in Alpine Space and empowered senior citizens will greatly benefit from a coordinated and participatory approach, building on active citizenship of older people based on the transnational AFE methodology designed and tested by a team of experts in this domain. In doing so, the project will contribute to the global effort of WHO supporting age-friendly environments (in Nov. 2018 it included 13 regional networks, 705 cities and over 210 million older people) that otherwise each country could not have.

T.A.A.F.E aims at enhancing the capacities of public authorities and service providers in the Alpine Space to develop sustainable age-friendly environments by deploying innovative, participatory co-creation methods through which six improved or new services will be designed. The project will foster knowledge exchange across regional and national boundaries contributing to the development of a joint agenda in the Alpine Space to find adequate solutions for the common challenges of ageing societies in eight domains of liveability that influence the quality of life of older adults, namely built environment, transport, housing, social participation, respect and social inclusion, civic participation and employment, communication, community support health care.

ZSI is leading a work package on strategy development. Moreover, ZSI  will be the methodological part of a Trio, to train municipalities in using participatory methods and developing age friendly services.

Team:

• Dr.in Mag.a Irina Vana (project leader)
• Drⁱⁿ. Barbara Glinsner, MSc
• Magª. Katharina Handler
• Dr. habil. Ursula Holtgrewe
• Magª. Elisabeth Koller
• Mag. Wolfgang Michalek

Section: Work and Equal Opportunities

Partners:

• Anton Trstenjak Institute for Gerontology and Intergenerational Relations
• Central European Initiative
• City Schaffhausen
• Communal Center of Social Action of Marseille
• Generation 65 Plus GmbH
• Institute for Seniors Care and Retirement
• Municipality of Feldbach
• Municipality of Žiri
• University of Grenoble Alpes
• University of Tübingen
• City of Treviso (Coordinator)
• District Office of Tübingen County