Creating room for connection: two perspectives on SmartAging

Feeling welcome, making everyday choices and having someone to talk to are essential parts of living well as we grow older. SmartAging brings design, care, research and technology together to explore how living environments can better support these experiences.

The project connects partners in Finland, Sweden, Germany and Poland. Its work combines the development of practical solutions with an equally important question: how will those solutions fit the lives of older people and the people who support them?

Anna Eliasson, Head of Innovation & Business Development at Interesting Times Gang, Sweden, and Ryann Deloso, Founder of MeCare, Finland, bring complementary design and care perspectives to SmartAging.

Anna Eliasson from Swedish project partner Interesting Times Gang and Ryann Deloso, founder of Finnish home-care provider MeCare, bring complementary perspectives to that question.

For Anna, the Social Oasis concept connects spatial design with opportunities for everyday social contact. An inviting shared environment can make it easier to join an activity, spend time with others or enjoy a quiet moment without feeling obliged to participate. Nature-inspired elements, adaptable arrangements and attention to materials help translate that ambition into practical design.

“For us, SmartAging is an opportunity to learn from care professionals and research partners in other countries and bring that knowledge into the Social Oasis design. We want to create places where an older person feels comfortable joining an activity, starting a conversation or simply sitting nearby, with the freedom to choose how to take part.”

Anna Eliasson, Interesting Times Gang, Sweden

Ryann brings the perspective of everyday care. In his SmartAging podcast interview, he discusses how his nursing experience and Filipino caregiving culture have shaped his approach to supporting older people. Understanding someone’s preferences, building trust and maintaining personal relationships are central to that approach.

“In everyday care, small things matter: knowing a person’s routines, listening to their wishes and making time for a conversation. My hope for SmartAging is that developing and testing solutions together will show how simple technologies can help older people do more of what matters to them, while keeping personal attention and caring relationships at the centre.”

Ryann Deloso, Founder, MeCare, Finland

These perspectives meet in SmartAging’s practical development work. The Social Oasis concept developed by the Swedish design partner has informed the Community Corner at a German care facility, while a related pilot environment in Finland brings together contributions from designers, researchers, care professionals and solution providers. Cooperation across borders allows ideas to be examined in different settings and adapted to local needs.

The pilot environments create opportunities to learn from residents and staff as the solutions are used. Their experiences will guide further improvements and help the partnership develop practical guidance and learning materials for wider use.

Through this exchange, SmartAging aims to help care providers and public authorities create environments where older people have more opportunities for participation, independence and connection.

SmartAging is co-funded by the European Union through Interreg Baltic Sea Region.

References and further listening

• SmartAging Podcast: Social Oasis — Anna Eliasson introduces the concept and its design principles.
• SmartAging Podcast: Aging, Care and Technology — interview with Ryann Deloso about care, culture and technology.
• What makes a community room a true Social Oasis? — the design concept for the German pilot environment.
• Social Oasis pilot at Toivokoti — collaboration, implementation and continued development in the Finnish pilot.

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