Date of label : 29/10/2024
This image shows a woman standing indoors, gesturing towards a wall covered with detailed blue-and-white tile artwork.
Summary
Healthy and Active Elderly (Idosos Saudáveis e Ativos) encourages healthy lifestyles in the elderly as a way to fight social isolation, and increases civic participation and a sense of social usefulness, while enabling heritage sites to be more publicly accessible. The project team created a historical and cultural tourist circuit that includes 11 churches in Torres Vedras (PT), now open to the public every day. Senior citizens have the following responsibilities: ensure the proper functioning of the church; provide guided tours; and contribute to a detailed analysis of visitor profiles and visit patterns. Retired residents (at least 55 years old) receive a monthly reward for participating.
The solutions offered by the Good Practice
Healthy and Active Elderly (Idosos Saudáveis e Ativos) addresses key challenges in Torres Vedras' Diagnostic and Social Development Plan, in particular, to reduce the number of elderly people living in social isolation. It actively involves the elderly in the running of a heritage tour for visitors that includes 11 churches in the city.
Around 250 seniors have taken part to date. Teams are selected annually, to give as many people as possible the chance to participate.
Launched in 2005, with the participation of four churches, this innovative approach has been recognised over the years with many awards, including:
- International Database/Bank of Good Practices from Educating Cities.
- Honoured in the Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship Map (2014) - MIES as ES+ (High Potential Initiative in Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship).
- Finalist - Manuel António da Mota Foundation's social innovation award (2015).
- Finalist - "Portugal Innovation Shaker" award (2017).
- CCDR Centre's Manual of Good Practices for Active and Healthy Ageing (2018).
- Finalist and honoured - Award for good participatory practices promoted - Network of Participatory Municipalities (2022).
- Proposals to improve the programme include increasing the use of digital resources, expanding the number of monuments involved, gaining external funding, strengthening its dissemination, and extending it to other thematic areas.
Building on the sustainable and integrated urban approach
The Healthy and Active Elderly programme contributes to increased social cohesion, through an integrated approach that brings environmental, economic, social, cultural, and health benefits:
- The opening of historical religious/cultural spaces every day, when previously they were closed, enhances the tourism value of the city.
- Integrating monuments outside the urban areas in the tour promotes the local economy from a broader and more inclusive perspective.
- The gratitude received by participants breaks stereotypes, and improves their quality of life.
- Local capital is leveraged by activating a group of stakeholders who benefit from and contribute to the quality of the programme.
- Inclusive criteria are used to select participating seniors regardless of their academic background, age (if between 57-90 years old), or gender.
- Participants gain through lifelong learning, cognitive stimulation, increased self-esteem, reduced social isolation, and increased perception of social utility, with benefits for physical and mental health.
- Replacing paper with digital tools (ongoing) contributes to the efficient use of natural resources, and (via training) the digital inclusion of seniors.
Based on participatory approach
A network of local partners collaborate to implement, monitor, and evaluate the Healthy and Active Elderly programme, with elderly participants involved throughout the process. Formal activities include meetings, participant training, and team presentations.
Stakeholder participation:
Security forces (National Guard and Police): Select participants, and conduct on-site monitoring, training (safety module) and evaluations.
Association of Retired People from Torres Vedras: Selection and payment of participants and evaluation.
Association for the Defence of Patrimony: Continuous training of participants.
Parish councils: Selection of participants, on-site monitoring and evaluation.
Parish churches and Santa Casa da Misericórdia: Management of the physical spaces, selection of participants, on-site monitoring, training and evaluation.
Municipality of Torres Vedras: Coordination, funding, logistical support, evaluation, selection of the team, organisation of training, on-site monitoring, financial implementation, purchase of goods, services and insurance, production of an annual report.
In addition, informal socialising is promoted, which allows closer ties between all those involved and increases the social integration of seniors.
What difference has it made?
Healthy and Active Elderly has reduced the social isolation and low sense of worth commonly experienced by seniors. At the same time, it has increased the time that heritage and historical sites are open to the public.
Furthermore, it responds to problems such as low pensions, weak family and social support systems, and a lack of mental health initiatives.
Key outcomes highlighted in the Social Impact Assessment (2019):
- Over 60 000 visitors/year to previously closed cultural monuments.
- Among senior citizens, integration into the programme led to a 63,6% increase in economic security, a 105,6% decrease in social isolation, and a 93% increase in self-esteem.
- Emotional wellbeing of the support network increased by 51%.
Both seniors and the organisations managing the heritage spaces consider the initiative as "very relevant".
Why this Good Practice should be transferred to other cities
The Healthy and Active Elderly programme’s design and methodology give it a high potential for scalability and transferability. As Europe’s ageing population impacts economic, social, health, housing and infrastructure needs, it provides an example for promoting activity and health in the elderly that is broadly applicable across diverse contexts.
The programme aligns with:
- Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): SDG 1 (No poverty), SDG 3 (Good health and wellbeing), SDG 4 (Quality education), SDG 10 (Reduced inequalities), SDG 11 (Sustainable cities and communities), and SDG 16 (Peace, justice and strong institutions).
- National strategies, including the National Strategy for Active and Healthy Ageing, Action Plan for Active and Healthy Ageing 2023-2026, and the National Strategy to Combat Poverty 2022-2025.
This aligned approach has a positive impact on the programme's potential for transfer to other cities regardless of their size, geographic location and typology (urban or rural).
Healthy and Active Elderly’s objectives are broad and common to most territories. Its management model and organisational solution can be adjusted to different needs and realities, while its funding model is suitable for different types of public entities. The programme can also respond to areas other than heritage, for example, seniors helping young children to cross the road outside schools.
The successful transfer of the practice to other cities depends on:
- Political commitment to channelling investment for this purpose.
- Establishing a cohesive network of partners with clear roles and responsibilities.
- Ability of the network to effectively expand the programme.
- Continuous evaluation that allows real-time adjustment to identified needs and obstacles.