Good practice:

ReHab

With the increase in average life expectancy, we must look to the future, preventing and controlling the most common cognitive and physical decline in older citizens. The main challenges encountered in this area are enhancing the active participation of older citizens in the community; combat cognitive and motor decline; extend the autonomy of older people, irrespective of their socio-economic conditions; promote digital literacy in the ageing population.

The summary of Rehab's actions are:

(i) mobilization and recruitment of clients from day-care and home support responses, preferably living alone; (ii) cognitive stimulation and functional rehabilitation of elderly patients, through the provision of a multidimensional kit of didactic and technological
instruments; (iii) cognitive stimulation sessions and functional rehabilitation at home, performed remotely through the use of technology and (iv) improved response and meeting the needs of these users, through the inclusion of technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence.

Who are the main stakeholders and beneficiaries of the practice?
ReHab is a project coordinated by Cáritas Coimbra, in partnership with IPN - Pedro Nunes Institute and Fraunhofer AICOS, funded by Banco BPI, under the BPI Seniors 2018 program.

The main beneficiaries are people over 65 in the city of Coimbra that are supported by Cáritas home care services and its clients in CRSI day care and residential units.

The total amount of funding was 36 760 euros, with Caritas Coimbra ensuring
5% of this expense and BPI Seniors 2018 program providing the rest.

The most valuable benefits achieved by the project are translated on the improvements regarding the older citizens active participation in the community, the stabilization or declining of cognitive and motor decline, the extension of the autonomy of these older people, regardless of their socio-economic conditions and, last but not least, the digital literacy increasing among the participants.

The participants have shown great interest in the interaction with new technologies as this is an excellent opportunity to stimulate memory and reasoning ability.
The implementation of this project proved to be an important step in the prevention of cognitive and motor diseases in older adults.

Has this good practice been adopted in other regions around the country or beyond?
In fact, ReHab is being escalated, as its main outputs are to be used already in 2020 to implement another project within the scope of SHAFE: Integrated Unit for Healthy and Active Aging (UnIESA).

This is an integrated patient pathway designed explicitly to patients over 65 years of age with multimorbidity. This pathway integrates healthcare centre groups, a specialised unit for active ageing at the Coimbra University Hospital, the long term network and social services. It aims to reduce the burden of care and emergency care. The synergies and resources created by the pathway allow the development of an upstream response through the integration of care between providers. Since day one, discharged is planned in coordination with the family and informal caregivers, primary care and social services.

This practice is implemented has a pilot programme in Caritas Coimbra.