European Silver Economy Newsletter, Issue 2/2006

11.05.2006 - von Claus Eppe, Ingo Meyer, Werner B. Korte

Issue 2/2006 Contents.

Section One: Editorial.

Section Two: Reports from the SEN@ER Regions.

01: West Midlands: Ageing with Opportunity in Staffordshire

02: Scotland: Experience Counts - Older Learners Programme

03: Gelderland: Consulting residents: how worthwhile can it be? - a workshop report

04: Gelderland: De Kimpenkamp, Goenlo: Domotics for mentally handicapped people

05: Lower Silesia: Active Seniors' Town

06: Andalucia: "Andalusian Telecare Service" supporting independent living

07: Andalucia: Andalucía Junta 65 (sesentaycinco) card

08: North Rhine-Westphalia: IST@HOME: Delivering online assistance to the needy: Aged people can benefit from new internet technology for better care. Some 60 million older Europeans suffering from chronic diseases and/or needing care say they would welcome online help delivered to their homes.

09: North Rhine-Westphalia: Call for partners: "Age-culture.net - A European Network for Creative Ageing"

10: North Rhine-Westphalia: Call for partners: "European Centre of University Studies for Seniors in East-Westphalia-Lippe (ECUS)".

Section Three: Reports from the SEN@ER Network and the European SEN@ER Secretariat.

11: The SEN@ER SIG "Culture & Ageing in Europe" has opened a communication platform, is preparing a policy paper and will be presented at key events in Germany and at European level

12: The SEN@ER SIG "Ageing Well" is making good progress in collecting European good practices and establishing an information exchange

Section Four: European Commission.

13: "Shaping eInclusion in Europe: Open Policy Stakeholder Meeting" on 25 April 2006

14: ICT & Ageing as a research priority for the 7th Framework Research Programme

15: Report by the Economic Policy Committee and the European Commission on the impact of ageing populations on public spending, February 2006

16: The impact of ageing on public expenditure: projections for the EU25 Member States on pensions, health care, long-term care, education and unemployment transfers (2004-2050)

17: How can ICTs contribute to active ageing in work and employment? A workshop organised on 17 October 2005 in Brussels explored the relationship between eInclusion and active ageing strategies in the context of work and employment.

18: European Commission workshop on eInclusion, better public services and quality of life: "i2010 for digital inclusion and participation"

19: The "Walter line budget" studies on the policy implications of demographic changes in the enlarged EU have been published by the European Commission in December 2005

Section Five: Cooperation with the European Union, the European Parliament and Further European Stakeholders.

20: "Silver Economy" at the first time referred to in a European Parliament report on demographic challenges and solidarity between the generations (2005/2147(INI)) developed by the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs dated 24 February 2006

21: Lisbon Strategy: only 17% of regions and cities are satisfied with their role in National Reform Programmes, Committee of the Regions (CoR) survey shows

Section Six: Conferences and Projects.

22: 2nd European Silver Economy Conference 2006 in Maastricht.

23: European Design for All e-Accessibility Network (EDeAN) launches its White Paper

24: High-level ministerial conference on "ICT for an Inclusive Society Conference" from 11-13 June 2006 in Riga with a special focus on "ICT and Ageing"

25: The Tromsø Telemedicine and eHealth Conference 2006 - 12-14 June 2006 in Tromsø, Norway

26: 14th European Social Services Conference - 19- 21 June 2006 in Vienna, Austria

27: International Conference on Computers Helping People with Special Needs - 12- 14 July 2006 in Linz, Austria

28: Presentation of age-culture.net at the 8th German Senior Citizens Day in Cologne

29: Future market 60plus - Consumption and consumer protection in an ageing society, Congress on 29 May 2006 in Bonn (Beethoven hall)

30: IANIS+ Annual Conference 2006: TOWARDS eREGIO 2010 - Challenges & Threats for the competitiveness of the regions in the Global Knowledge Economy, 15 - 16 June 2006, Blekinge, Sweden

31: Leicestershire CareOnLine

32: High Tech and High Age - Diversity in the Organisation of the Future

33: SEN@ER will be presented in a key note speech at the European conference on "Disability & Ageing: disabled people are ageing, ageing people are becoming disabled", Graz: 8 - 9 June 2006

34: International Workshop "Towards a European Approach for Monitoring eInclusion" on 21 June 2006 at the Committee of the Regions, Brussels

[Contents ends].


++ Section One: Editorial.

Ageing in Limburg ... an opportunity to be seized!

I am delighted to be able to present our view of the silver economy and to share our insights, projects and policy with you in this newsletter.

Senior citizens are becoming increasingly important! Limburg is a key player with regard to an ageing population and population decline.

In 30 years' time, 42% of inhabitants will be 55 or older. These senior citizens will continue to be active for a longer period and are expected to have less physical impairments. Moreover, their purchasing power is increasing. In 2010, they will constitute 55% of the overall purchasing power. As consumers, these citizens will therefore occupy a prominent position in the Limburg economy. Together with you, this is an opportunity that we wish to seize.

We can convert this ageing advantage into new products and services. For this purpose, the following three action categories have been created in the Province of Limburg.

1.) In Limburg, there are a great many opportunities presented by the tourist business. Just think of the leisure time interests of active senior citizens.

2.) The business community can develop new innovative services and products for senior citizens. It is interesting to note that at present, the marketing sector focuses only 10% of its efforts on senior citizens. Moreover, according to the 2005 Limburg Economic Barometer (BEL) investigation, only 5% of the business community included senior citizens in its policy as a target group.

3.) The knowledge and expertise of senior citizens should be exploited. We will be faced by a considerable increase in the demand for labour at a time when the population will be declining. This also presents opportunities for senior citizens. After all, a concentration of such citizens represents a wealth of knowledge and experience. When they retire, a great deal of this knowledge and experience is lost. We wish to involve senior citizens in our economic activities as producers and consumers. We are developing projects in which senior citizens can pass on their knowledge and expertise to young people.

I am confident that like me, you are convinced that senior citizens are very interesting from an economic point of view. We consider it to be such an important topic that we are currently organising a second international conference devoted to this subject, 'Silver Economy in Europe 2006', which will be taking place in Parkstad on 28, 29 and 30 November 2006.
In other words, we consider the ageing population in Limburg as an opportunity that must be seized.

Martin Eurlings, Member of the Executive Council of the Province of Limburg

[Section One ends].


++ Section Two: Reports from the SEN@ER Regions.

+01: West Midlands: Ageing with Opportunity in Staffordshire

Nationally falling fertility rates and rising life expectancy is rapidly increasing the average age of people in the UK. In Staffordshire, over three hundred thousand people are aged fifty or over and this number is growing making up over a third of the population of the county. This is forecast to rise to nearly a half over the next 15 years. An ageing population presents a number of new challenges for Staffordshire. Research has told us that the poorest people suffer from greater poverty as they get older and rising divorce rates and migration as well as rising life expectancy leaves a greater number of older people alone. With fewer children and young adults, a predicted fall in the working age population and more older workers, organisations will have to consider how to respond to a potential employment crisis. Many people over the age of fifty do not regard themselves as 'older people', however, depending on individual circumstances, one person aged 50 might be more in need of help and support than another aged 75 who, in turn, may wish to continue working.

In February 2006 Staffordshire County Council launched the draft version of 'Ageing with Opportunity'; a strategy for Staffordshire aimed at developing a comprehensive strategic approach to services for older people. The strategy seeks to look at the whole range of activities carried out by the County Council and other partner organisations which are, or could be, important to improving the quality of life of older people in Staffordshire. The draft strategy focuses on achieving outcomes based around four strategic aims: Independence, Choice and Confidence; Health and Well-Being; Making a Positive Contribution - Engaging, Involving and Consulting with Older People; and Information and Advice. These aims have been informed by two key documents: 'Opportunity Age' (DWP, 2005) and 'Independence, Well-Being and Choice' (DoH, 2005), as well as views so far from Staffordshire residents and organisations. Above all, Ageing with Opportunity aims to promote the view that older people should be actively engaged and involved in the Communities in which they live.

These aims cannot be achieved alone. It is importance that we engage with older people themselves to ensure that we are genuinely listening to what they want in order to improve the quality of life for all older citizens. It is also important that the County Council and its partners work alongside each other to learn from each other's knowledge and skills to better deliver our services. There are many organisations in Staffordshire who help and support people as they get older. 'Ageing with Opportunity' aims to nurture these organisations in order to fully understand what each other is doing, maximise resources and share good practice. These approaches are essential to ensure that the strategy meets the needs of the older population of Staffordshire.

On February 21st the County Council held an 'Ageing with Opportunity' conference; it was supported by colleagues from other counties and attended by a large number of our partners. Delegates were encouraged to see the draft strategy as a living document in which they could sign up to and have a chance to shape the actions proposed. The aim is to finalise the draft Strategy by the end of May. It is vital that as many stakeholders as possible sign up to it in order to it to ensure that the actions proposed (there are over 40 actions in it so far, spread over the four strategic aims mentioned above) are implemented with positive outcomes for all older people in Staffordshire.

If you would like more information, a copy of the draft Strategy or would like to sign up to the Strategy, please contact Alan Lotinga, Deputy Corporate Director - Social Care & Health, Staffordshire County Council on 01785 277162 or alan.lotinga@staffordshire.gov.uk


+02: Scotland: Experience Counts - Older Learners Programme

Scotland is experiencing major demographic change. Our population is both ageing, driven by rises in life expectancy, and shrinking, a result of falling birth rates. By 2031 the number of people aged 65 and above is projected to rise from 16% to 28% of the total population. Consequently, older people aged 50 and over will form an increasingly large and important part of our workforce over the coming decades. It is therefore crucial that we invest in the skills of older workers in order to encourage them to play a productive role in our economy for as long as possible.

The Scottish Executive has recently launched an older learners programme - "Experience Counts" - which aims to help older people currently in work develop and improve their skills, in particular their employability skills. The programme encourages Sector Skills Councils to collaborate with colleges and learning providers to develop and deliver bite size or taster courses aimed at older workers within their sector.

As well as motivating older workers to engage in further learning, the programme should bring about other benefits including:

* encourage partnership working between Sector Skills Councils, learning providers and employers;
* support training needs analyses targeting the skills needs of the 50 and over workforce with particular emphasis on employability skills;
* encourage older workers back into learning - to make them more productive in their current job and raise their confidence to acquire new skills;
* support the development and delivery of learning opportunities in response to the outcomes from the training needs analyses.

Further information on this programme can be found on the Scottish Executive website at :
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Education/Funding-Support-Grants/19379/experiencecounts/experiencecounts .


+03: Gelderland: Consulting residents: how worthwhile can it be? - a workshop report

The central theme of the 'Ageing: a golden opportunity' event which took place on December 7, 2005 was consulting residents was: Do you take the wishes of local residents into account in local and regional policy development? How do you involve them? And: what is their opinion worth?

As explained by municipal policy officer Christine Andriessen, the municipality of Westervoort asked all over 65 year-olds about their home and living conditions. "Specially-trained advisors interviewed the elderly residents. They not only asked questions but also passed out information. For example, if people were at risk of becoming isolated, various activities were pointed out to them."

The results of the extensive survey into various aspects including safety, health, finances and mobility are soon to be announced. Andriessen continued by saying that, "the results represent essential input for policy, but will not be entirely decisive. We really cannot have Albert Heijn open a supermarket outlet here, just because that is what the elderly residents want. It is up to us as local government officers to consider all the interests, across the board, and then come up with sound proposals."

Workshop supervisor Pieter van Haeften questioned the value of involving the elderly. Who, after all, can judge what future generations of old people will want? "The current generation of elderly people no longer wishes to live in the care homes built just ten years ago. There is therefore a real risk that future generations will reject what we are building now."

On the other hand, future generations clearly do have something worthwhile to say about their wishes for their retirement, was the response from Ewout van der Kuip of the Combined Association for the Elderly in Gelderland (SBOG). "But, you first have to give them an idea of what that future will look like."
His organisation was involved in a study amongst the over 50s. "We presented them with a series of future scenarios developed specially for the purpose. The interviews lasted a whole morning or afternoon." According to his estimates, some sixty of these marathon interviews were held in the Rivierengebied area alone. And what was done with the results? "They led to better prevention. A year in hospital for example then cost 50,000 Euro. If you can convince someone to live a more healthy life, you may well save several years hospitalisation, set against the negligible costs for the interview itself. In his opinion, unfortunately, other findings were put 'right on the back burner', and the province stopped funding for the regional platforms carrying out the surveys.

In Malden, the client council of De Malderburch rejected out of hand the initial sketches for a new complex; the meeting area was too far away, the residential units too close to one another. As described by director Agnes Wagelmans, "A very educational experience. The architect immediately drew up a different sketch." With a view to extramural care and welfare (two sets of services combined in Malden), the local elderly residents' association was consulted. And everyone, including the informal care providers, was invited to visit a show apartment. "It emerged for example that the refrigerators had no freezer compartment. And that in turn led to the justified question from the future residents of what they should do with the ice creams for their visiting grandchildren."

Wagelmans swears by communication, in newsletters or during meetings. "You do have to offer information in manageable chunks if you want everyone to understand. Also restrict yourself. Offer people a choice of two tiles, rather than letting them choose whichever tile they want; otherwise the whole thing becomes total chaos."

Advisor Van Haeften recognised the value of the examples from Westervoort and Malden. "All I wanted to say was to not go too far. Some municipalities calculate housing needs to the sixth decimal point, and yet housing needs are constantly changing. In other words, build flexibly so you can respond to those changes."

Advisor Marcel de Jongh views informal care providers in the fifty-plus age group as a good source of information; they are conversant with the situation of their parents and are not so far away from becoming OAPs themselves. "However, more important than acquiring information is creating support. When it was announced in Neede that the care home was to disappear, the whole village was in uproar. If the plan had been presented more cautiously, everyone would have understood that there would still be plenty of opportunity for people to visit one another. It emerged that that was the function people were unwilling to let go, and not the old complex itself."

More information is available at the www.gelderland.nl/vergrijzing, or contact the program Ontgroening en Vergrijzing: Telephone 0031 - 26 359 93 12, Email: vergrijzing@prv.gelderland.nl .


+04: Gelderland: De Kimpenkamp, Goenlo: Domotics for mentally handicapped people

The Lichtenvoorde care organisation operates the care facility De Kimpenkamp in Groenlo (Gelderland), intended for people with a mental handicap and people with multiple handicaps. The premises are owned by the De Woonplaats housing corporation. The building was thoroughly renovated in 2003-2004, whereby all residents were given their own apartment, which now allow for an independent living. The building also houses a shared living room, a kitchen, a central bathroom and visitor bedrooms.

The domotics facilities implemented and installed include: videophone, remote control opening the front door to the apartment and the residential complex, fire alarm, active personal alarm, lights on/off via remote control, curtains open/close via remote control, remote temperature control, ceiling hoists, (preparations for) disorientation protection.

For more information please contact: Corien Reijmer, Beleidsmedewerker Zorg, Provincie Gelderland REW/WZC, Onderafdeling Zorg, Postbus 9090, 6800 GX ARNHEM, The Netherlands, Tel.: +31 26 359 92 74, Mobile: +31 06 50 273 451, E-mail: c.reijmer@prv.gelderland.nl, Internet: www.gelderland.nl .


+05: Lower Silesia: Active Seniors' Town

The Active Seniors' Town project is located in Radków in Klodzko Valley (Sudety Mountains), and aims to create a :

* housing estate for elderly people with broad care-therapeutic and recreational-holiday base
* innovative and mobile "Looking after- and rehabilitative centre" for chronically ill and disabled people residing in the housing estate and for people from outside.

The project aims to build a housing estate and care-educational-clinic, therapeutic and recreational base for 55+ elderly people. The commune of Radków, which is a partner in the project, has assigned for this aim 6.5 ha of the ground for the first - although, as they assure, not the last one - realization stage.

The town of Radków is situated in Stolowe Mountains National Park area, near Klodzko Land health resorts: Kudowa Zdrój, Duszniki Zdrój, Polanica Zdrój, Ladek Zdrój and Dlugopole Zdrój. This location will be conducive to cooperation and partnership in taking advantage of the spa character of the region and health resorts of long tradition located there. The services to be designed will partly be compatible (hydrotherapy, mineral water sources, plastic surgery, therapeutic peats) with already existing services in the places mentioned above, but paying attention to the elderly people problems and holistic approach to meet them are innovative solutions in Poland.

The project is also oriented to clients from EU countries. It is a commercial enterprise.

The project partners are the Commune of Radków and "Now Life" Foundation (Fundacja "Nowe Zycie") currently searching for other partners and investors. The project is prepared with the partnership of the Wroclaw colleges' researchers.

Its implementation will reduce and clearly cut down expenses on elderly people group through reducing medical treatment expenses resulting from the age and diseases, by stimulation of physical and mental activity (depression prophylaxis), social activity stimulation, involving in professional work adjusted to this age group as well as scientific researches concerning this field.

For more information contact: Wojciech Olszewski [wojciech.olszewski@dolnyslask.pl] .


+06: Andalucia: "Andalusian Telecare Service" supporting independent living

Considered one of the most important telecare centres in Spain and in Europe the "Andalusian Telecare Service" is a personal service based on new communication technology, which allows its users to stay in verbal contact via a telephone line with a switchboard manned by specially trained staff, 24 hours a day all the year. It increases the independent living and the life-care of elderly people. Actually there are more than 40.000 assisted users.

It is a pilot project embraced within the Junta de Andalucía's social policy and has the following aims to:

* enhance the autonomy of dependent people.
* bring more peace of mind to them and their families outside the home.
* broaden the scope for action in the face of emergency situations.
* encourage the person's continuation within their social environment with the highest degree of security and safety.

The Mobile Helpline project consists of a programme of providing assistance 24 hours a day and 365 days of the year in activities which take place outside the home. As of December 2005, the Andalusian Telecare Service provides services to 40,000 users.

More information: www.juntadeandalucia.es/fundaciondeserviciossociales .


+07: Andalucia: Andalucía Junta 65 (sesentaycinco) card

Thanks to the Andalucía Junta Sesentaycinco Card its holder (65 years old or older) can benefit from several services and assistance; it provides care and cure services, improving independent living. The card represents the eGovernment key to access many facilities provided by the "Junta de Andalucia" for elderly people. Actually there are 700.000 Andalusian Elders with this service.

The Andalucía Junta sixty-five is a card which has been designed ever since it was conceived to carry out numerous functions required by the various services for which it is intended and that is why it has been fitted with a chip and a magnetic strip.

The card represents the key to access the following programmes and facilities:

* The Andalusian Helpline Service.
* Discount Programme for purchasing optical products.
* Subsidised Transport Programme.
* Mobile Helpline (project undergoing piloting).
* Hearing-aid Purchase Discount Programme.
* Free Legal Advice Programme.
* 900 2001 65 telephone line.
* Cultural, recreational and leisure activities.
* Household services.
* Support scheme fro Andalusian families:
** Day-stay programme for the over 65s.
** Family break programme for the over 65s.
** Access to residential vancies supported by public funds.
* 50% subsidiary for the dining-room service at day centres (only for the gold card).
* Subsidies provided by the Regional Government's Public Works and Transport Department for basic functional adaptation of the home.

The cards is free and allows to save money and time, giving to its owner the possibility to benefit from several programs, services, and assistance in an easy and fast way.

More information: www.juntadeandalucia.es/fundaciondeserviciossociales .


+08: North Rhine-Westphalia: IST@HOME: Delivering online assistance to the needy

Aged people can benefit from new internet technology for better care. Some 60 million older Europeans suffering from chronic diseases and/or needing care say they would welcome online help delivered to their homes.

A new tested video-telephony system which has been developed as part of the IST@Home project and piloted at the Evangelisches Johanneswerk in Bielefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia and in other European regions underlines the 'e-care' benefits for users and over-stretched social-service and healthcare providers. Video telephony allows immediate contact with people at home, enables them to continue living at home and relieves pressure on care-providers by reducing physical journeys. It was first tested in Europe in the early 1990s using analogue cable. Though costly and bulky, these pioneering systems were shown to be helpful for elderly people who also liked using them.

Under the project IST@HOME, researchers developed an affordable and usable video-telephony system that built on work done in a series of European Union-funded projects to design home and care-provision systems for elderly people. It comprises a small movable camera, a set-top box for a TV and a handheld service pad. Together, these components enable users to see, talk to or seek assistance from professional carers in real time, over the Internet. "Our focus was on visual communications and user acceptance," says Simon Robinson, the project's coordinator. "We wanted to go beyond the state-of-the-art for systems in the home environment. Our goal was to allow users to communicate from any room in the house and to talk to service staff via a TV set rather than a desktop PC."

The project partners, funded under the European Commission's IST programme, installed the complete system in homes in Germany, Belgium, Spain and Portugal and tested it for six months. They also produced portable video-communications devices which can be carried from room to room. With the size of an A4 sheet of paper, these devices are standard tablet PCs with a video camera. Older users and service staff expressed great appreciation for the project's services and systems, with most of both groups saying they would like to use them in the future if possible. Both groups also rated the video quality acceptable to very acceptable at the data rate used, which was typically 256 kbits/second.

However, service staff identified some problems. These included alarm integration, eye-to-eye contact, lack of synchronicity between lip movement and speech, as well as audio quality and technical interruptions. "What is important for two-way communications is frames per second - ideally 24 when there is movement, the screen resolution of each picture, and speed to code," says Robinson.

The partners also discovered that today's wireless networks are less than ideal for larger homes. "WiFi is inadequate for video telephony," he adds, "because it needs stable, high-bandwidth connections. Quality-of-service guarantees must be added to ensure video signals are acceptable."

Yet dedicated equipment was not the goal, notes the coordinator. For example, the centre providing services was reengineered using open Java technology plus real-time video encoding hardware. "We also developed pure software-based codecs which are almost as good as the hardware. So, future systems could be based on standard devices."

By the project's end, the partners concluded that home video-telephony systems of this kind are feasible, but that they require better integration - for example with alarm systems or with mobile devices that register vital signs such as blood pressure.

The IST@HOME systems are on show in Portugal Telecom's exhibition centre and have been demonstrated by Johanneswerk, a service provider under the German social welfare organisation of the Protestant church, and hospital/care providers located in Bielefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia.

Contact: Simon Robinson, empirica GmbH, Oxfordstr. 2, D-53111 Bonn, Germany, Tel: +49-228-9853043, Fax: +49-228-9853012, Email: simon.robinson@empirica.com . Project website: http://www.ptinovacao.pt/ist@home/ .


+09: North Rhine-Westphalia: Call for partners: "Age-culture.net - A European Network for Creative Ageing"

This is a call initiated by the SEN@ER SIG "Culture & Ageing" which has been established in the end of last year by several of the SEN@ER partners under the responsibility of North Rhine-Westphalia. The call aims at widening the network by partners from further regions. The contact details of Age-culture.net are as follows:

Almuth Fricke and Gerda Sieben, Institute for Education and Culture, Küppelstein 34, 42857 Remscheid, Germany, Tel.: 0049 2191 794 299, Fax 0049 2191 794 290, Email: fricke@ibk-kultur.de, Internet: www.age-culture.net / www.ibk-kultur.de .


+10: North Rhine-Westphalia: Call for partners: "European Centre of University Studies for Seniors in East-Westphalia-Lippe (ECUS)".

ECUS is interested in Europe-wide cooperation and has issued a Call for Partners. ECUS has been founded as an innovative institution of education by regional partners. It is financed by work contributed by the partners and by fees paid by the students. Scientific support for ECUS will be provided by the Faculty for Health Sciences (School of Public Health) of the University of Bielefeld.

The contact details are: Europäisches Zentrum für Universitäre Studien der Senioren Ostwestfalen-Lippe (EZUS), Zentrum für Innovation in der Gesundheitswirtschaft (ZIG), Jahnplatz 5, 33602 Bielefeld, Mrs Susanne Lübker, Dr. Dr. Paul Wolters, Tel.: 0049 (0) 5 21 - 32 98 60-16, Fax: 0049 (0) 5 21 - 32 98 60 - 49, Email: luebker@zig-owl.de / wolters@zig-owl.de .

[Section Two ends].


Section Three: Reports from the SEN@ER Network and the European SEN@ER Secretariat.

+11: The SEN@ER SIG "Culture & Ageing in Europe" has opened a communication platform, is preparing a policy paper and will be presented at key events in Germany and at European level
Culture is an important issue in the united Europe and touches all spheres of life. A positive culture of "ageing in Europe" offers the possibility of developing new cultural opportunities. Culture is an important regional and European economic factor and is also making an impact in economic inter-cultural and cross-border terms.

The SIG "Culture and Ageing in Europe" targets the cultural economy and publicly subsidised cultural entities. Addressing the expanding target group of older people more specifically will allow the economic potential of the culture sector to be developed further. Good-quality, intelligent products emanating from the cultural economy are particularly well suited to improve the quality of life of older people and generating opportunities for an understanding of and between generations and cultures.

On 25th November 2005 representatives from different cultural initiatives and European regions from Scotland, Finland, Limburg, Extremadura, Austria and North Rhine-Westphalia have agreed on an intensive co-operation in this field. EURAG and the Assembly of the European Regions support this network and have in February 2006 informed their members about it in a Call for Partners.

On 31st March 2006 the European partners have discussed the draft of a policy paper "Culture and Age in Europe" that will be presented at the 2nd European Silver Economy conference in the region of Limburg in November 2006. Further activities and possibilities of a closer co-operation have been planned.
The European internet platform for Age & Culture is open: www.age-culture.net has become a forum for ideas and sharing of worthwhile experiences emanating from European regions and initiatives and offers a detailled information on the objectives and activities of the network as well as many interesting documents and links on the topic.

For more information please contact: Dr. Claus Eppe, Head of Unit Silver Economy and Media Competence at the Ministry for Generations, Family, Women and Integration of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Horionplatz 1, 40219 Düsseldorf, Germany, Tel.: +49 211 8618 3320, E-mail: claus.eppe@mgffi.nrw.de, Internet: www.mgffi.nrw.de
Almuth Fricke and Gerda Sieben, Institute for Education and Culture, Küppelstein 34, 42857 Remscheid, Germany, Tel.: 0049 2191 794 299, Fax 0049 2191 794 290, Email: fricke@ibk-kultur.de, Internet: www.age-culture.net / www.ibk-kultur.de/senioren .


+12: The SEN@ER SIG "Ageing Well" is making good progress in collecting European good practices and establishing an information exchange

"Ageing well" is described as a situation/scenario where a spectrum of best possible spectrum of services and products is provided that will allow citizens - regardless of their age - to lead an independent self-determined and healthy life ideally from their homes for as long as possible and not to be brought to residential care. The aim is to improve the quality of life of older people enabling them to take part in a full range of social, economic and cultural activities, led by the "design for all"-philosophy.

"Independent living" is seen as a crucial prerequisite to allow for "active ageing" and an "ageing well" and an elementary need of people. The idea of "independent living" can conceptually vary from "fully autonomous living" to specific forms of "assisted living". The objectives of this SIG are to:

* establish contact between the key players and stakeholders active in this field in the SEN@ER regions,
* start an exchange of information between active participants in the regions,
* stimulate cross-border co-operations in the euregios and Europe wide,
* prepare a workshop for the 2nd European Silver Economy conference in Maastricht 2006,
* develop new and innovative ideas for products, services and applications,
* define the European extra value of co-operation and develop project proposals and submit these for funding to relevant programmes of the European Commission later in 2006 and 2007.

At a workshop on 2 February 2006 in Arnhem the next steps and a work plan were agreed upon by the participating regions Gelderland, Andalucia, West Midlands, Mid-East Region Ireland and North Rhine-Westphalia.

For more information please contact: Corien Reijmer, Beleidsmedewerker Zorg, Provincie Gelderland REW/WZC, Onderafdeling Zorg, Postbus 9090, 6800 GX ARNHEM, The Netherlands, Tel.: +31 26 359 92 74, Mobile: +31 06 50 273 451, E-mail: c.reijmer@prv.gelderland.nl, Internet: www.gelderland.nl .

[Section Three ends].


Section Four: European Commission.

+13: "Shaping eInclusion in Europe: Open Policy Stakeholder Meeting" on 25 April 2006

The European Commission has organised an open stakeholders meeting on European eInclusion Policy in Brussels.

eInclusion, or ICT for inclusion, is about increasing the effective participation of individuals and communities in all dimensions of economy and society, through information and communication technologies. eInclusion is a priority in the i2010 Information Society initiative for Jobs and Growth of the European Commission. Within i2010 it is announced that the Commission will come forward with a European Initiative on eInclusion in 2008.

The workshop offered a wide and open opportunity to come forward with ideas, opinions and contributions for future eInclusion policy and actions (which can address actions in areas such as good prac-tice promotion, research, deployment, regulatory-related work, etc) at European level. Additionally, information was provided at the meeting on the Riga Ministerial Conference on eInclusion of June 2006, which is another important stepping stone towards the 2008 eInclusion initiative.

SEN@ER actively contributed to the workshop with suggestions relating to the silver economy in the special session on "ICT and Ageing" demonstrating that the action takes place at regional level and that European policy and funding activities are best addressed to and placed in the regions. The European regions organised in SEN@ER are ready to start. With these statements, SEN@ER found high levels of appreciation among the participating experts and the Commission.

The experts of the workshop concluded and recommended to the European Commission that there is the need to:
* accelerate the exploitation of economic opportunities
* overcome technological short comings of existing smart home solutions
* facilitate the emergence of functioning value chains involving all relevant players when it comes to product development and service provision.

More information:
http://europa.eu.int/information_society/policy/accessibility/eincl/policy/2006-04ws/index_en.htm .
Riga: http://europa.eu.int/information_society/events/ict_riga_2006, R&D: http://www.cordis.lu/ist/so/einclusion/ .


+14: ICT & Ageing as a research priority for the 7th Framework Research Programme

On the 26th of April the SEN@ER Secretariat met with the e-Inclusion unit of the DG Information Society & Media along with a restricted group of relevant industry actors, social NGO s and social scientists to gather information on possible policy priorities for the European ICT & Ageing agenda for the coming years. Many themes were discussed such as life long learning; social and economical impact of ICT and ageing; the need to integrate existing technology to benefit all, user friendly ICT for an ageing society; cooperation of multidisciplinary teams and user organisations in product design and development, development of cheap technology for all to prevent social exclusion, etc. A report of this meeting will soon be sent by the Commission and will be made available to our the SEN@ER partner regions in the SEN@ER website partner area.


+15: Report by the Economic Policy Committee and the European Commission on the impact of ageing populations on public spending, February 2006

The report and a 16 page summary can be downloaded here:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/economy_finance/epc/epc_publications_en.htm .


+16: The impact of ageing on public expenditure: projections for the EU25 Member States on pensions, health care, long-term care, education and unemployment transfers (2004-2050)

This report provides a detailed description of the projections on age-related expenditure covering pensions, health care, long-term care, education and unemployment transfers for EU25 Member States for the period 2004 to 2050. The report is also available as: EUROPEAN ECONOMY. Special Report, no. 1 - 2006. Office for Official Publications of the EC.

Download: http://europa.eu.int/comm/economy_finance/publications/eespecialreports_en.htm .


+17: How can ICTs contribute to active ageing in work and employment? A workshop organised on 17 October 2005 in Brussels explored the relationship between eInclusion and active ageing strategies in the context of work and employment.

Europe is currently facing two major forces of change: Demographic ageing on the one hand and the increasing permeation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) on the other. Although these two trends clearly have several points of intersection, the topic of ICTs and their possible contribution to work-related active ageing has been given relatively little focused research attention to date. The eInclusion@EU project organised an international workshop "The contribution of ICTs to Active Ageing in Work and Employment" on 17 October 2005 in Brussels aiming at exploring the relationship between the two strategies which up to now have been represented separately without sufficient awareness of their links and interrelationship. The workshop was organised back to back with the Final Conference of the "ActiveAge" research project and attended by about 100 participants.

The workshop also dealt with the question "What could be done to better interlink active ageing and eInclusion policies?" It concluded that the current debate on work-related active ageing and the possible contributions of ICTs is mainly characterised through complexity and diversity. Discussions at the Brussels workshop clearly reflected this. Discussion results reveal that there is wide understanding that ICTs can clearly contribute to active ageing in work and employment. Although technology on its own may not be a "killer application" as regards the achievement of high employment rates and later occupational exit ages for older workers, people are increasingly aware of the potential ICTs have with regard to work-related active ageing. However, many active ageing experts and promoters are still rather sceptical about the possible contribution of ICTs. The main reason for this turned out to be the risk of creating new barriers for older people. Another reason for existing obstacles and slow progress and learning from successful pilot projects and good practice examples is the institutional fragmentation of responsibilities and lack of co-operation between people and institutions in charge of social policy, active ageing and ICTs promotion policies. Currently Europe is in the initial phase of linking together themes and debates which up to now have been developed and discussed separately. The Brussels workshop was a first step in exploring the relationship between eInclusion and active ageing strategies and brought together relevant stakeholders to facilitate a co-ordinated research and policy strategies at the European and national level. Key aspects to be addressed by policy makers and employers at national and European level in order to maximise the opportunities and minimise the potential risks are:

* design of ICTs to cater for age-related changes in perception, dexterity and cognition,
* organisation of ICT-related work to suit the needs of older workers,
* equality of opportunities in access to age-friendly ICT work,
* exploitation of assistive technologies to support workability of older workers,
* exploitation of ICT-supported opportunities for age- friendly flexibility in work,
* equality of opportunities to acquire and maintain ICT-related skills and competencies,
* need to establish a harmonized and robust European evidence base on the contribution of ICTs to active ageing in work and employment
* need to motivate older people to remain longer in the working process on the one hand and need to motivate enterprises to employ older people on the other hand
* a proactive approach that focuses on the entire working life and therefore on all age groups in the workforce is needed.

More information on the international workshop "The contribution of ICTs to Active Ageing in Work and Employment" is available at the eInclusion@EU project website: http://www.einclusion-eu.org .
Workshop presentations are online available at:
http://www.einclusion-eu.org/NewsItem.asp?CaseTitleID=483 .
Information gathered by the eInclusion@EU project in relation to the role of ICTs in "Active ageing in work and employment" is now available at:
http://www.einclusion-eu.org/NewsItem.asp?CaseTitleID=1492 - Stockholm European Council 2001 and Barcelona European .


+18: European Commission workshop on eInclusion, better public services and quality of life: "i2010 for digital inclusion and participation"

This workshop aimed at setting the scene for i2010 ambitions in the field of inclusion. It provided an occasion for debate between stakeholders on relevant issues around e-Inclusion. The final report of the workshop is now available and includes a number of key challenges that according to the experts at the workshop need to be addressed including at least one of direct relevance for SEN@ER in which the "silver economy" is mentioned:

"In view of the demographic shift eInclusion policy can be expected to gain in relevance for a growing part of the population. However, the federal structure of the European Union tends to make direct enforcement through regulation and legislation rather difficult. Therefore, market forces should be harnessed to adequately address eInclusion challenges that concern older people. Accordingly, eInclusion may not be viewed as a societal burden but rather an opportunity for regional economic growth and for improving Europe's competitiveness, e.g. by pulling the eInclusion theme together with more economically-driven approaches such as the concept of the 'silver economy' currently pursued by some European regions."
The workshop report can be obtained here: http://europa.eu.int/information_society/eeurope/i2010/inclusion/index_en.htm .


+19: The "Walter line budget" studies on the policy implications of demographic changes in the enlarged EU have been published by the European Commission in December 2005

In 2004 the European Parliament requested the European Commission to carry out a "preparatory action to encourage account to be taken of demographic change in European and national policies". On this basis, a first series of five studies were commissioned to examine in a comprehensive way how current and projected demographic trends are affecting our societies and to promote pro-active policy responses in a wide range of areas. Two of these studies are of direct relevance to the "silver economy":

Impacts of New Technologies and Information Society

Population ageing will have significant socio-economic implications and represents a major challenge to social protection systems in the EU. Yet, it also creates new opportunities for the European economy, notably through the development of innovative technological responses to the changing needs of an ageing population. The study by Empirica (Germany) and the Work Research Center (Ireland) looks in particular at improved access to ICT and at the potential of ICT for promoting labour force participation of older workers and for helping older people to remain longer independent. More information:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/social_situation/docs/lot7_ict_finalreport_en.pdf .

European Study of Long-Term Care Expenditure

This study by PSSRU, LSE Health and Social Care, London School of Economics is investigating the sensitivity of projections of future long-term care expenditure in Germany, Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom to changes in assumptions about demography, dependency, informal care, formal care and unit costs.

All five studies can be downloaded here: http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/social_situation/studies_en.htm .

[Section Four ends].


Section Five: Cooperation with the European Union, the European Parliament and Further European Stakeholders.

+20: "Silver Economy" at the first time referred to in a European Parliament report on demographic challenges and solidarity between the generations (2005/2147(INI)) developed by the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs dated 24 February 2006

The Ministry for Generations, Family, Women and Integration of North Rhine-Westphalia informed several Commissioners from different General Directorates (DGs) about the Silver Economy initiative. The lead partner region North Rhine-Westphalia together with the SEN@ER Secretariat had various meetings with European Commission representatives from different DGs and the General Secretary of the Committee of the Regions. The objectives of these meetings were to raise awareness for the "Silver Economy" and discuss the SEN@ER network objectives and strategies and Silver Economy topics.

After a number of discussions and meetings with members of the European Parliament the "Silver Economy" is at the first time referred to in the European Parliament report on demographic challenges and solidarity between the generations (2005/2147(INI)) developed by the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs dated 24 February 2006 where under point no. 83 it "stresses the importance of providing cultural and leisure activities aimed at the older generation in recognition of the opportunities presented by the silver economy".
In this report the European Parliament Committee on Employment and Social further determines that it:

* "Considers that demographic change and its impact on society are crucially important for the future of the Member States and of the Union; therefore calls on the Commission to acknowledge demographic change as a horizontal task and to take it into account in an appropriate manner, in the form of mainstreaming, in all the Union's activities;" (...)
* "(...) emphasises that, because of an ageing population, the demand for health and long-term care services increases qualitatively and quantitatively; is convinced that investment in measures for the prevention of long-term illness is important for coming to terms with the human and financial aspects of demographic change; states that the longer people are in a position to enjoy healthy lives, the longer they can remain active and work;" (...)
* "Recognises that different Member States are grappling with common challenges in this area, and are exploring different solutions with varying degrees of success; considers that there are no single One-Size-Fits-All "right" answers, especially in a Union of 25 or more member States; stresses that the need for a varied approach in tackling demographic challenges is further increased by the significant disparities experienced in the different regions and sub-regions; such disparities will require imaginative, non-uniform approaches"; (...)
* "Calls on the Commission and the Member States to undertake and disseminate studies on population change in the individual Member States, taking account of the causes and the likely short-term consequences thereof".

With these statements, important principles of the "Silver Economy" are acknowledged in general terms.

The full report can be downloaded here:
http://www.europarl.eu.int/omk/sipade3?PUBREF=-//EP//NONSGML+REPORT+A6-2006-0041+0+DOC+PDF+V0//EN&L=EN&LEVEL=3&NAV=S&LSTDOC=Y (in English)
and in other languages: http://www.europarl.eu.int/omk/sipade3?SAME_LEVEL=1&LEVEL=2&NAV=S&DETAIL=&PUBREF=-//EP//TEXT+TA+P6-TA-2006-0115+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN .


+21: Lisbon Strategy: only 17% of regions and cities are satisfied with their role in National Reform Programmes, Committee of the Regions (CoR) survey shows

Member States are failing to fully involve regions and cities in the preparation of national reform plans which are a central pillar of the EU's jobs and growth strategy, a survey conducted by the Committee of the Regions shows. The National Reform Programmes (NRPs), as they are known, outline objectives for the next three years in macroeconomic and microeconomic policy areas, as well as in the field of employment. The CoR survey, conducted between 8 September and 10 October 2005, aimed to:

* Assess the level of involvement of regions and cities in preparing NRPs
* Establish what their NRP priorities are for achieving more jobs and growth.

Questionnaires were sent to regions and cities in all 25 EU member countries, as well as associations representing them, and NRP national coordinators. A total of 119 responses were analysed - 103 of them from the local and regional level and 16 from national representatives.

The survey found that only 17% of regions and cities were satisfied with their involvement in the preparation of NRPs. A significant number of respondents stated that the absence of any call for consultation was the main reason for their non-participation in the process. And even where consultation did take place, their proposals were not recognised as a 'main contribution' by national coordinators in 80% of cases. With regard to the content of the NRP proposals, regions and cities underlined the importance of adapting education and training systems to meet new challenges, and the need to create a more attractive, supportive business environment for SMEs. Regarding the potential added value of the NRPs for local and regional development, the results showed that 31% of regions and cities and 94% of national coordinators believe the NRPs set clear priorities. However, only 13% of all respondents stated that the NRPs provide adequate financial resources, and just 7% of regions and cities say they offer clear timetable for reforms compared to 31% of national coordinators. The survey also illustrated that only a few regions and cities perceive a cohesive territorial approach in the draft NRPs for regions lagging behind for natural reasons (14%) or those lagging behind for economic and social reasons (25%). Consequently, they call for a greater level of coherence between the NRPs and EU cohesion policy to ensure a more balanced approach in achieving the targets for jobs and growth.

Reacting to the survey findings, CoR President Peter Straub warned that the EU's efforts to increase its global competitiveness would be undermined unless all levels of government - European, national, regional and local - worked together in partnership. "The Lisbon Strategy can only be successfully delivered if all stakeholders are fully involved in decision-making, implementation and monitoring processes," he said. "If we don't get everyone on board, then we won't achieve what we want to achieve. If we want to succeed in translating the Lisbon objectives into reality, the content of the NRPs must reflect a genuine partnership approach."

The CoR is currently analysing the published NRPs in order to make a comparison with the survey results. This analysis will form part of the CoR's contribution to the Spring European Council on 23-24 March.

The detailed findings of the CoR survey can be downloaded here (in different languages): http://www.cor.eu.int/en/press/press_06_01001.html .

For more information, please contact: Estelle POIDEVIN, Tel. +32 (0)2 282 22 70, Fax +32 (0)2 282 20 85, email: estelle.poidevin@cor.eu.int / Dennis ABBOTT, Tel. +32 (0)2 282 20 99, Fax +32 (0)2 282 20 85, email: dennis.abbott@cor.eu.int .

[Section Five ends].


Section Six: Conferences and Projects.

+22: 2nd European Silver Economy Conference 2006 in Parkstad (Netherlands).

The preparation of the second European Silver Economy Conference - which will take place on 28 - 30 November 2006 in Parkstad (near Maastricht) (The Netherlands) - is making good progress. It was further discussed and developed at and after the SEN@ER meetings in Brussels and will be hosted by the Province of Limburg.

Conference title
Silver Economy Conference Europe 2006

Dates
28, 29 and 30 November 2006

Accommodation and location
The Rodahal, Parkstad Limburg Theater, and conference centre Rolduc, located in Parkstad, the Netherlands.

Objectives
The conference will speed up the seizing of opportunities resulting from demographic change. By presenting major projects and sharing the most up-to-date information, innovative solutions will be sought to exploit ageing as an economic opportunity. The conference will offer every opportunity for international networking.

The first conference, which was held in 2005 in Bonn, was particularly informative and intended to make participants clearly aware of the opportunities. The conference being organised by the Province of Limburg will be interactive, with a focus on learning from one another and establishing contacts for the future. We will be concentrating on businesses, policy makers and politicians. At this conference, we wish to emphasise - from an entrepreneur's viewpoint - the economic opportunities offered by the ageing population by presenting innovative international projects currently being implemented. The conference message will be: seize the opportunities presented by the Silver Economy in Europe.

Presentation
Limburg is associated with joie de vivre, art and culture, consequently Parkstad Limburg Theater has been hired for the plenary sessions. Given the innovative character of the conference, the programme will be revolutionary. Many facts will be presented, and participants will be actively involved in the programme by means of presentations and discussions in a setting reminiscent of a sports arena. Trend watcher Mark Goldstein will be speaking and inviting discussion on the basis of four statements.

Interactive sessions will be held in ten conference rooms in which forum corners have been set up in order to learn about the most interesting projects or to contact the right persons.

Trade fair
All over the world, innovative projects are being launched that serve as an example or a source of inspiration. If these best practices have been launched or completed, they may be submitted as entries in an international competition, which will be judged by SEN@ER, Silver Economy Network of European Regions, a cooperative venture between eleven European regions (www.silvereconomy-europe.org). The three best projects will be declared the winners.

At the trade fair in the central hall of the Rodahal, entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to present themselves to the participating public. Best practices can be presented here, too.

Social programme
A VIP dinner will be held on the evening of 29 November for one hundred invitees in Kasteel Hoensbroek. Other participants may register for a very inspiring social programme.

Target group
We are focusing particularly on entrepreneurs. Invitations will be sent to representatives of the following sectors in all eleven regions of the SEN@ER network:

- finance
- property
- medical
- ICT
- tourism

In addition, policy-makers and politicians will be invited.

Participation and registration: The registration fee per person will be EUR 150. This fee includes the costs of the welcome reception, coffee breaks, lunches and conference documents, but excludes social activities. The maximum number of participants is 600.

For questions about the organisation, please contact:
Conference Agency Maastricht, Tel.: +31 (0)43 361 91 92, E-mail: info@conferenceagency.com, Website: www.silvereconomy2006.nl .

Conference language: English.

Proceedings: All proceedings can be found at www.silvereconomy2006.nl and can be downloaded from this website.

Welcome reception: On the evening of Tuesday 28 November, a pre-conference reception will be held at conference centre Rolduc to which all participants are invited.

Preliminary programme information on the conference is already available: http://www.silvereconomy2006.nl (under construction).


+23: European Design for All e-Accessibility Network (EDeAN) launches its White Paper

The European Design for All e-Accessibility Network EDeAN has launched its White Paper. EDeAN was established in 2002 as part of the eEurope2002 action line, supporting the development of Information Society for All. Today EDeAN has national networks in 23 EU member states, with a total of 157 member organisations. The EDeAN White Paper summarises the achievements of the network in the fields of Design for All and e-Accessibility and highlights the developments in Europe since mid-1980's. The major focus in the White Paper is on future - the paper presents the primary challenges and opportunities for EDeAN to further support the development of European Information Society with strategies and tools related to Design for All an The White Paper has been edited by FORTH, the Greek EDeAN Secretariat 2005 with support of national EDeAN networks.

For further information on the White Paper and other EDeAN activities, please visit http://www.edean.org .

Should you wish to join thematic EDeAN discussions, please contact secretariat@edean.org .


+24: High-level ministerial conference on "ICT for an Inclusive Society Conference" from 11-13 June 2006 in Riga with a special focus on "ICT and Ageing"

The European Commission, together with the Latvian Government and the Austrian Presidency of the EU, is organising this high-level conference on the theme 'ICT for an inclusive society'. Practitioners, representatives of civil society, representative groups and industry, and Ministers from all EU Member States will meet to set the eInclusion policy agenda for the coming years. The conference will include a ministerial meeting and is accompanied by an exhibition which will showcase a number of successful examples demonstrating how information and communication technologies can contribute to an inclusive society.

The conference will address one of the three pillars of i2010 - inclusion, better public services and quality of life. And have a special focus on ICT and Ageing.

The conference programme is under preparation. Participation is by invitation only. More information: http://europa.eu.int/information_society/events/ict_riga_2006/index_en.htm .


+25: The Tromsø Telemedicine and eHealth Conference 2006 - 12-14 June 2006 in Tromsø, Norway

The TTEC 2006 conference focuses on the topics "Imagining the future of healthcare and well-being", "Innovations within Telemedicine and eHealth", "Facing threats and disasters" and "Healthcare politics and strategies for the future. The conference is jointly organised by the Norwegian Centre for Telemedicine, by the University Hospital of North Norway and WHO Collaborating Centre for Telemedicine and more information is available at the conference website at http://www.telemed.no/index.php?id=25438714th .


+26: 14th European Social Services Conference - 19- 21 June 2006 in Vienna, Austria

The conference topic is embedded into the discussions of demographic change and its implications on existing economic and welfare systems. The main topic of the 2006 conference is delivering health care in an ageing Europe. The conference will especially provide a platform to discuss the challenge of demographic change for welfare services, developing policy and practice and tackling new financing and resource management. The conference is organised by the European Social Network. More information at http://www.socialeurope.com/pdfs/Vienna/en_possible_workshop_themes.doc .


+27: International Conference on Computers Helping People with Special Needs - 12- 14 July 2006 in Linz, Austria

The conference is organised by the Johannes Kepler University of Linz together with the Austrian Computer Society and the Land Austria and aims at supporting the advancement of ICTs and assistive technologies for older and disabled people and for people with learning difficulties. Topics which will be discussed at the conference sessions will particularly include accessibility and usability, age related disabilities, assistive technology, design for all, education, labour market integration, medicine and care, service delivery and smart environments. More information can be obtained at the project website at http://www.icchp.org/content/view/35/68/ .

+28: Presentation of age-culture.net at the 8th German Senior Citizens Day in Cologne

"Seizing the chances of old age - New stimuli for the generation 55+" is the headline of this year's 8th German Senior Citizens Day that will take place from 16th to 18th May in Cologne. More than 10.000 visitors are expected to visit the exhibition, fora and workshops in the Cologne Congress Centre. Arts and culture are specially focused in this year's edition. During all three days the North Rhine-Westphalian network for Age and Culture "MehrKultur55plus" will showcase good examples of cultural activities from older people for older people in NRW and exhibit new ideas for cultural services and businesses for an older target group.
On 17th May, the SEN@ER SIG Culture age-culture.net and its European network will be presented. For this purpose our European partners will bring good practice from their regions to a broad German audience.
These are the topics:

o Crossing borders: new entrepreneurship in cultural tourism for an older target group in Germany and the Netherlands.
o Later Lifelong-learning in the Arts - Experiences made in a European Learning Partnership.
o The Austrian Model of an Intergenerational theatre / Reminiscence theatre
o Making Memory Matter - Exhibition of the memory boxes made by artists and 120 older people in 7 European countries

Venue: Congress Center Ost, Kölnmesse, 4th floor.
Date: 17th May 2006, 2p.m.-5p.m.

For more information please contact: Dr. Claus Eppe, Head of Unit Silver Economy and Media Competence at the Ministry for Generations, Fam

Link: http://www.silvereconomy-europe.org/.
Quelle: sener@empirica.com.