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Description
Private housing targeted at the elderly is at a very early stage of development in Poland. The majority (3/4) of Polish seniors live in their own households. Statistics show that two thirds of seniors would like to live independently and occasionally use the assistance of their relatives, friends and neighbours. One of their key everyday problems is the conflict between their need for independence and the need for feeling safe. The housing conditions determine to a considerable extent seniors’ life quality as the time spent at home is increasing with age to 21-24 hours per day. Most of apartments and houses currently used by the present and future seniors are not adjusted to the needs of the elderly, so the project aims to address that problem.
The objective of the project is to introduce a new Independent Living (IL) service through the construction of a senior housing facility comprising 43 senior apartments. The IL service shall be provided through technological solutions that support daily lives of the elderly and improve their safety and quality of life, including implementation of an intelligent system of automatic monitoring of health and safety of the elderly, monitoring threats and an intelligent system of controlling light and heating. An innovative Norwegian „KOMP” technology that enables simple, remote communication of the elderly with younger generations and prevents their loneliness and seclusion from social life will be provided by the project partner, NO ISOLATION AS.
The project involves construction and equipment works of the IL senior facility, branding and legal preparations, development and implementation of IL technological solutions, and purchase of equipment for the facility coordinator.
Summary of project results
1. Project implementation and service provision in accordance with the plan and schedule - this was a challenge, as the scope of the project was extensive and deadlines defined in the contract; in connection with the project implementation, among other things, proceedings based on the Public Procurement Law had to be conducted; the implementation of the tasks required a great deal of commitment and ongoing monitoring of deadlines so that the project could be completed on time and in full.
2. Adaptation of the Norwegian partner''s ''KOMP'' product to the Polish market - the scope of adaptation included not only translations, but also development and implementation of new functions due to the specific nature of the facility. This was the beneficiary''s first experience of international cooperation with a foreign partner.
3. International cooperation with the Norwegian partner - this was a challenge due to the need to work together in an international team, mostly remote cooperation in English
4. Adaptation of the company and the independent living service to the Polish market and the needs of seniors - the way of communication, validation of the use of technology by seniors, preparation of the campaign and the way of communication to seniors.
All of the above were challenges in delivering an ambitious project on time.
The project resulted in the implementation of a new service on the market and the commercialisation of Norwegian technology on the Polish market. As a result, a unique Independent Living service was implemented, i.e. a combination of senior cohousing involving seniors and innovative At-Home-Monitoring-Systems technologies, and the first implementation of the Norwegian partner''s KOMP technology on the Polish market.
As a result, cooperation was established and will continue in the future.
The beneficiaries of the project are older people and their families. The aim of the project is to counter loneliness and exclusion among senior citizens, thus improving their quality of life. In a broader context, the project''s beneficiary is society, as an improved quality of life for older people translates into a lower incidence of diseases such as depression or heart disease, which translates into a reduction in healthcare expenditure and savings in the city budget for care-related expenses. Villa Zakątek, is the first facility of its kind in the country to tackle loneliness and to integrate and activate older people and use technology to improve the quality of life and safety of our residents. Villa Zakątek responds to the modern challenges of an ageing society by offering seniors and their families comprehensive solutions that improve quality of life, ensure safety, independence and social integration. Our goal is to create a local ''Blue Zone'' - that is, a place where seniors live exceptionally long, happy lives and have significantly lower rates of chronic disease compared to the rest of society.
Summary of bilateral results
Cooperation with the Norwegian partner contributed to: 1. To learn about and implement the new Norwegian KOMP technology on the Polish market. 2. Adaptation of the Norwegian partner No Isolation''s KOMP product to the Polish market and thus open a new market and export channel for the Norwegian partner - the partner''s participation in our project has made it possible to cooperate with the beneficiary with a view to developing a Polish version of the KOMP device and implementing it on the Polish market, where the Norwegian partner has so far been absent3. Popularization of Norwegian technology on the Polish market 4. Experience in international cooperation 5. Establishing long-term cooperation regarding the development and sale of a Norwegian product on the Polish market