Eldicare 2.0’s Post

Excited to share our latest work! "Growing research highlights the role of local community contexts in health and well-being. Communities function as central arenas for health promotion as individuals and community spaces interact in daily life. To better communicate the linkages between community and health, we demonstrate the use of a set of geosocial tools for community diagnosis and health promotion, conceptually grounded in the framework of geosocial embeddedness, using data from community surveys and participatory research conducted with local inhabitants to engage their competency. Through a web-based interactive map generated using a geographic information system, we identified public territories in the municipality where greater policy attention is needed to enhance health. Through an intersectional matrix produced using multilevel analysis, we identified precise social groups by intersectional categories that are most at risk of loneliness for targeted intervention. A health radar chart on multidomain indicators illustrated information on group dynamics and longitudinal comparisons for health promotion. Overall, these tools offered not only diagnoses of the most vulnerable social groups for tailored interventions but also insight for policymakers to improve infrastructure and material resources to promote health. We conclude that geosocial tools offer a promising approach toward sharpening health communication and improving health in the community."

Jump on tomorrow as our Director of Finance Paul Maher speaks all things innovation and iAgeHealth with Debbie Howard from the international Rethinking Asia Club. Details to listen below: #iagehealth #international #ageingasia2024

☕ Exploring Women TechEU, Mental Health Surveys, Study Trips to Germany and more! 🙋♀️ Interested in the Women TechEU program? The program is aimed at start-ups founded, or co-founded, by women holding a top management position (CEO, CTO or equivalent). The support comes in the shape of grants of up to 75k EUR plus a personalized program including mentoring, coaching, networking and training. Read more: https://lnkd.in/dxnvSQ6U 🧠 SINTEF has carried out a digital survey on behalf of the Helsedirektoratet to gain more knowledge about how people experience the outpatient treatment offer in mental health care and interdisciplinary specialized drug treatment. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gTzimVa9 🔎 The competition for the municipalities' long-term care services is getting tougher as an increasing number of younger patients are now receiving long-term stays. Read about the findings by prominent researchers at the Department of Health Management and Health Economics at Universitetet i Oslo (UiO). Read more: https://lnkd.in/di8Efn8C ✈ Join our study trip to Germany for health care professionals. We will visit innovative hospitals and companies using digitalization, AI and robotics to counteract the challenges posed by the shortage of specialists. Read more: https://lnkd.in/daPkS7Y9 💰 Meet Heal Capital - a leading German VC fund deeply rooted in the German healthcare system and backed by private health insurers. Read more: https://lnkd.in/dtxiMmg5 🚀 Germany is welcoming Norwegian startups to their accelerator "How to länd and expänd in Germany.  Read more: https://www.the-laeb.de/ 🏃♂️ The Nordics are a natural first step for many scaling companies, but how do you take the first step to enter these neighboring markets? Learn more about the Danish and Swedish markets in our webinar series. Danish Booster Board: https://lnkd.in/dPGGFdK9 Swedish Booster board: https://lnkd.in/dpNFpwwZ 📃 Norway Health Tech and Sopra Steria is launching a report on obstacles and possibilities in scaling digital solutions in the mental health space. Read more: https://lnkd.in/dzBuiv6T   🎟 The Healthtech Festival is THE place to be. This year, we will expand with an investor meetup, together with keynotes and panels from Norwegian and International speakers. Don't miss it - and secure your exhibition spot! Read more: https://lnkd.in/dkjisfAM Have a great weekend!

In policy-making, digital services are strongly associated with the assumption that they improve accessibility and involve citizens in monitoring and managing their own health. 🩺💻 However, the primary results of the “Demography and Democracy – Healthy Ageing in a Digital World” project show that there are many challenges in using digital health services from the perspective of an ageing population. "Public health websites are often perceived as poorly designed and difficult to use. Many people find it difficult to find them," say Associate Professor Elisa Tiilikainen and Postdoctoral Researcher Hanna Varjakoski at the University of Eastern Finland. A total of 71 elderly people and 39 professionals working in social services for the elderly in Finland, Sweden and Denmark were interviewed for the study. Interviews revealed that even when older people have the basic skills to use other digital services, digital health services cause problems. “If we want to increase the use of digital services, their accessibility and usability should be significantly improved.” Read the full article 👇 #futurenordics

🚀Looking forward to chairing our 'Technology Enabled Living Lab for Ageing Better' Advisory Board this morning (𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐁 https://lnkd.in/gyRPB-iX ). The Board comprises a representative group of experts from across the industry Steve Sadler Charles Lowe Lois Beech Abdul A Ravat David Brown Beverly Futtit Colin Foskett to support the development of our The Dunhill Medical Trust supported research project. We will be sharing and discussing our research material and findings, progress and future steps. Shout to Johnnie Johnson Housing for the support and our amazing residents who give so generously of their time, perspectives and engagement in the work we do. 𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐁 is currently formalising its approach, creating guiding principles, and gearing up for the core research phase. The Residents' Panel together with the Advisory Board play a crucial role in overseeing TELLAB's work, ensuring that the project stays true to its commitment to inclusivity and representation. 📈🔍 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐎𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬: 1. 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐄𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Develop co-designed procedures to identify TEC that can add value to the lives of older adults. 🚀💡 2. 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐬: Establish a "living lab" co-designed with JJH residents to evaluate and develop new technologies in real-world situations. 🏡🔍 3. 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐄𝐂 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐫𝐬: Assist TEC manufacturers and service providers by offering insights from real-world trials before scaling or entering the market. 🤝💼 4. 𝐄𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Provide up-to-date evidence of care needs and life aspirations of older adults from diverse backgrounds. 📊👴 5. 𝐌𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐝𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐓𝐄𝐂: Develop methodologies for identifying relevant TEC that address the unique needs of diverse communities. 🌐🛠️ 6. 𝐑&𝐃 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬: Establish a living lab for TEC development and customer trials, along with research and development facilities. 🏗️💡 7. 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭-𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐆𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞: Provide best-practice guidance for living labs to ensure ethical considerations, non-biased research, and effective community engagement. 📜🤔 Kathryn Fox-Rogers Mark Hawley Stephen Potter Andrew Conroy Jack Battersby Keli Ashby Emma Midgley (Chartered Marketer) MCIM Kate McArdell-Broome

🌳💚 Nature-Based Interventions: Key to unlock Human Wellbeing Alex Gesse from the Forest Therapy Hub (FTHUB), a training and research organisation that combines the therapeutic benefits of #Nature with guided sessions designed to enhance Physical, Mental, and Emotional well-being.  In short, FTHUB’s efforts are directed at maximising the effects that Nature has on human beings. In his presentation... Alex outlined FTHUB's foundational step — the 5 States of Health Model: Physical (Body) Psychological (Mind) Social Spiritual Planetary 🌍 He emphasised the importance of the Spiritual and Planetary states, asserting that our quality of life and sense of purpose are intricately linked to the #Health of our #Planet. To be healthy is to breathe clean and healthy air, and to have that air is to be surrounded by Nature full of Green. “Just don’t take care of your garden for a couple of months,” remarked Alex, highlighting our responsibility to care for the environment. Following the theoretical foundation of the “5 States of Health,” their next step involved creating nature-based interventions. This is about gathering a group of people to do specific activities, organise in a specific sequence in nature, and see how it affects their state of being.  📊Key Achievements (so far): - FTHUB has trained individuals in 70 different countries.  - Collaborations with universities, including Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, Universidad Santiago Católica de Chile, and University of British Columbia.  - Currently conducting an EU-funded pilot project involving over 4,000 participants across 15 experimental sites in 6 countries, testing the effects of nature-based interventions on well-being. While FTHUB is actively working to integrate nature-based interventions into mainstream healthcare systems, Alex's Call to Action is to Strive for more experiences in our dear Nature! #ForestTherapy #Wellness #NatureBasedInterventions #HealthAndWellness #SustainableLiving #MentalHealth #PhysicalHealth #PlanetaryHealth #EcoTherapy #NatureLovers Jordi Serrano Pons, Jordi Alcalà Torró, Luismi Roura, Trinidad De Frutos Herranz, Kathrine Raleigh, Nerea Blanque, Pere Paré, Manel Balcells, Magnolia Restrepo Sánchez, Montse Guardia Guell, Claudia Fernandez de Cordoba Farini, Elena Codina, Anna Sala Cunill, Marta Anglada Roig, Lucas Hunter, Jaume Duran Navarro, Josep Maria Pique Badia, Esteve Picola, Michael Donaldson, Tim Eaves, Matthew Carvalho, Esther Deltor Campà, Sonia Hernández-Montaño Bou, Carla Oliva Morell, Alba Vega Molina, Júlia Ruiz, Andrea Ciucci, Sara Soto, Olena Zotova, Oriol Costa Lechuga, Patricia Ripoll Ros, Anna Fernández Ortiz, Cristina Royo-Cebrecos, Aida Ribera Solé, Marta Pahisa, Anna Fuster Muñoz, Miguel Ángel Martínez Sánchez, David Dalmau Juanola

Wagner Kapoor Institute has 200+ community partners, and it’s still not enough. We’re here to serve the community as widely as we possibly can, which is why we have so many partners to aid us in this outreach. Still, very few people want to open up an eye care institute in the “worst part of town.” So it’s critical that we keep finding new community partners to help us reach the care deserts, where we can do the most good for people. That’s why, most weekends, our Sight Forever team heads out to local health fairs, churches, community centers, or senior living facilities to perform free vision screenings for sight-destroying diseases, such as glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy. We want to reach the people whose conditions make it difficult or impossible for them to access eye care on their own. If they can’t see, they can’t get transportation to a fancy office in the city…which is why we have 10 smaller locations (4 are ours, and 6 are built with community partners), rather than one urban mausoleum. Our goal as healthcare providers is to serve as many communities as possible. By nourishing our existing community partnerships and constantly seeking out new ones, we’re making that happen.

This Pan American Journal of Public Health report delves into stakeholder perspectives using the AMORE Platform, which integrates open and big data to assess and predict the interplay between health service accessibility, traffic congestion, and health equity in urban and metropolitan areas. Test cases were conducted in Cali, focusing on frequently accessed ambulatory services such as hemodialysis, radiotherapy, and tertiary care emergency services, where every minute counts. The report concludes: "Our study underscores the importance of collaborative efforts between stakeholders and decision-makers to develop strategies that align with population needs, ensuring effective policy impact on equity in access to health services." Stakeholder Assessment of an Innovative Platform to Improve Spatial Accessibility to Healthcare Services in Cali, Colombia. Rev Panam Salud Publica. 2024;48:e69. Available at: https://lnkd.in/gRhaP4XP Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Luis Gabriel Cuervo Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Carmen Juliana Villamizar-Jaimes Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Joan Benach, Lucinda Cash-Gibson, PhD JHU BLOOMBERG SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH Universidad del Valle (CO), Facultad de Ingeniería Universidad del Valle, Escuela de Ingeniería Civil y Geomática, Ciro Jaramillo Molina Universidad de Antioquia, Facultad Nacional de Salud Pública - Héctor Abad Gómez, ELIANA MARTINEZ HERRERA IQuartil

New research, led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (#ISGlobal) has found a ‘robust’ link between exposure to green spaces in early childhood and better lung function. The research used the records of 35,000 children from eight countries (#Denmark, #France, #Italy, #Lithuania, #Norway, the #Netherlands, #Spain and the #UK), with the analysis taking place at the individual level for each participant. The team used the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (#NDVI) to reveal how much vegetation existed within 300m of each subject’s home address. The NDVI uses satellites to provide spectrometric data to quantify the health and density of vegetation to a high level of accuracy. The team measured lung function using spirometry tests. To assess lung volume, the researchers measured forced vital capacity (#FVC), which is the maximum amount of air a person can breathe out after taking a deep breath. #FEV1 (The volume of air exhaled in the first second of forced breathing after a deep inhalation) was also measured to reveal how open the airways are. The researchers found that exposure to green spaces in early childhood was significantly associated with better lung function, particularly in girls. The effect of living near #greenspaces in pregnancy was also examined and found to have no correlation. It was also seen that while the lung function of children from both low and high-income backgrounds benefitted from residential greenery, living near green spaces predominantly favoured those from higher socioeconomic backgrounds. Amanda Fernandes, first author and ISGlobal researcher at the time of the study speculated on this: ‘One possible explanation could be that families with higher education or income may have access to higher-quality, safer, and better-maintained green areas. ‘Our understanding of how green spaces affect lung function is still incomplete,’ she concedess. ‘We know that green spaces reduce air pollution, which in turn affects respiratory health. We also believe that green spaces may expose children to beneficial microbiota, which may contribute to the development of the immune system and indirectly influence lung function. Finally, green spaces close to home are likely to reflect the presence of play areas that encourage physical activity at an age when the lungs are still developing.’ Martine Vrijheid, lead author of the study and co-director of the Environment and Health over the Lifecourse programme at ISGlobal added: ‘Our findings highlight the importance of integrating green spaces into urban environments for better respiratory health, also in children. If the way cities are configured is a factor that contributes to inequality, urban planning that consciously contributes to alleviating inequity is important.’

In a recent piece on the intersection of #digitalhealth and #womenshealth, Sorina Mihaila of Femtech World (https://bit.ly/4f9ajwF) offers perspective from many leaders on what we can do to leverage digital health more effectively. I appreciate our funding partners, AXA Investment Managers and Cross-Border Impact Ventures, who share this vision, including the insightful comments from Annie Theriault.  The #WorldHealthOrganization report (https://bit.ly/4c1Pmk9) shows that digital health tools can improve access to health services and enable greater autonomy for women globally. It found that these tools are uniquely valuable in obstetrics, gynecology, psychiatry and nutrition. Women's health needs are real and urgent – as is the opportunity in digital health - and we must work together to foster autonomy and greater access to healthcare for women. Further while digital health technologies show growing value in promoting accessibility of #healtheducation and health services, access to meaningful engagement with such technologies is a barrier to women globally.  🌍 In my global health leadership role at Axena Health, we recently completed a study in Kenya and Nigeria (https://bit.ly/4cJyyzL) to understand from women and healthcare workers how a digital health technology to treat urinary and fecal incontinence could be relevant and accessible. 💡 We learned that many women, particularly those with at least some university-level education, regularly searched online and engaged in social media to learn about health conditions and treatments. 💡 However, for conditions that are isolating, highly stigmatized, and for which little baseline knowledge exists – such as for urinary and fecal incontinence – in-person interaction with a clinician is critically important, though can be enhanced by apps, private online groups, or other software-only digital technologies that allow them to privately learn about pelvic health and to share experiences with other women. ➡ This research has informed our work to develop a clinic-based version of our current product, one that will promote accessibility to health education and treatment through a digital health technology that involves the clinician. While this removes the “only at-home” value that is a hallmark of digital health treatments, it addresses stigma-driven access barriers and aims to provide effective and accessible care for urinary and fecal incontinence for women who otherwise may never engage in treatment.  #pelvicfloordisorders #capacitybuilding #innovation #urinaryincontinence #fecalincontinence