by Maddalena Illario, MD, PhD, Federico II University and Hospital, Naples
The European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP-AHA) has redefined the way we look at getting old. We are now more aware that the lifestyle choices we make today will greatly impact the quality of our lives tomorrow.
The Partnership came along for Campania in the fall of 2012: awareness about ageing back then was mostly limited to doctors and geriatricians. There was little concern among regional stakeholders about the burden of an ageing population or about how ageing could be seen as a societal opportunity as well as a burden.
The Partnership provided a new, experimental environment, supporting interactions among partners on a peer basis, uninfluenced by past failures and successes. Thanks to EU guidance, we could focus on ongoing activities that could be scaled up and sustainably impact active and healthy ageing. The “Health Campus” is an example: implemented by the non-profit sector, it supports population surveillance and simple preventative measures for silent epidemics, such as osteoporosis and osteopenia.
Our practices have been improved by the dynamic international community of the Partnership and there has been a drive to bridge regional divides through closer collaboration. Our involvement in projects with The Netherlands and Scotland, for example, taught us about the tools and services they developed. We also took part into the Reference Sites Network promoted by Northern Ireland. Moreover, being an international team player allows us to benefit from EU funds.
We also collaborated closely with the other Italian Reference Sites to build a better national network.
At first, we were not sure why the Commission wanted to involve policy makers. Then we understood: the EU wanted to raise awareness on healthy ageing at all political and management levels. This proved to be pivotal in our region, helping us to discard old policies that weren't working and to support innovative strategies.
This is just the start. We have a long way to go, but the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing will make it easier to reach our goals quickly by helping us to improve our activities and scale them up in other contexts for the benefit of European citizens.
