CENIE promotes a broad reflection on the issue of ageing and demographic change in the Algarve

With the participation of the University of the Algarve in the CENIE - International Centre on Ageing project coming to an end and after three and a half years, it has managed to promote a broad reflection on the issue of ageing and demographic change in the Algarve region. With more than 40 actions of training and promotion of health literacy, aimed at the elderly population, informal carers and technicians of social support institutions in the region, we reached more than 2,000 elderly people and 300 technicians, developing about 25 research projects and participated in more than 40 national and international scientific meetings (70%) with 49 different papers.

We succeeded in making the Algarve the European Region for Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP-AHA), bringing together in a single regional candidacy some 75 partners, from public bodies, private companies, academia, research centres and multiple IPSS representing civil society and the social economy sector, in a candidacy led by the University of the Algarve and the CCDR Algarve.

Ageing and demographic change are now included in the Regional Development Strategy - Algarve 2030.  We seek to position the region as a senior tourism destination, promoting the coming of international operators to the region and outlining the profile of the senior tourist who visits us, what they are looking for in a tourist destination and what can make a destination more attractive to this segment, in order to promote the opportunities associated with ageing and the silver economy in the Algarve Region.

We moved from the concept of ageing to Longevity, putting on the table, the need to study the elderly and comorbidities, the importance of combating sedentary lifestyles and promoting active lifestyles, where the current Interreg project "Programme for a Longe-lived Society (PSL)" and the project that now starts the Algarve Active Ageing - Cardiac Rehabilitation and Osteoarthritis (A3COR), funded under the CRESC Algarve 2020 and the European Social Fund.

Rather than closing a project, we look at how much remains to be done, as this weekend sees the 1st Meeting of National Reference Centres for Active Ageing to prepare a national action plan for active ageing, focusing on topics such as digital transformation, health and well-being, employment strategies and reforms for the ageing population, adaptation of social support, intergenerational relations, adaptation of housing or accessibility and transport. 

Always with the motto "working with and for the Region", thinking about the needs of the ageing population and its multiple challenges, to promote active and healthy ageing. Many thanks to all those who have collaborated with us.