SmartAging

Older people need living environments where they can manage everyday life, make their own choices and remain connected with others. Across the Baltic Sea region, care providers and public authorities are searching for practical ways to support independence, wellbeing and participation as people’s abilities and care needs change.

Many promising technologies and service ideas already exist, but they do not always fit the realities of older people, care professionals or existing care environments. SmartAging’s work in Finland, Sweden, Germany and Poland identified challenges related to mobility, daily activities, safety, loneliness and opportunities for meaningful participation. Costs, limited skills and solutions that are difficult to use, install or maintain can also prevent innovations from becoming part of everyday care.

SmartAging responds by combining inclusive living-space design, practical technologies and learning for the people who provide and develop care services. Its central solution is the Social Oasis, also known as the Community Corner: an adaptable shared environment where older people can meet, participate in activities or spend time independently. Accessible technologies, sensory elements, sustainable materials and activity-based solutions are brought together to support social interaction, comfort, safety and everyday independence.

Partners across the four countries contribute complementary expertise in elderly care, design, technology, research, materials, education and service development. Older people and care professionals are involved throughout the process through interviews, needs mapping, co-creation, demonstrations and testing. Their experiences are translated into design choices, technical refinements and clearer guidance, helping ensure that the solutions respond to real preferences, abilities and working practices.

The project has reached important milestones. Its transnational needs assessment resulted in a Senior Needs Report and visual Needs Map, providing a shared evidence base for solution development. The project has also completed and documented controlled testing, gathering feedback on the usability and implementation requirements of the selected solutions. Pilot environments applying the Social Oasis, or Community Corner, concept have now been established, allowing residents and care professionals to use and evaluate the combined solutions in everyday care settings.

Testing and feedback are guiding further improvements. Shared environments have been adapted to residents’ preferences, spatial elements are being refined to improve comfort and usability, and digital guidance is being developed to be clearer and more accessible. Technology and service concepts have also been developed further based on practical experience. This iterative process shows how cooperation across countries and sectors can turn separate ideas into integrated solutions suitable for different care environments.

The partnership is continuing real-life evaluation and transforming the knowledge gained into practical guidance, educational materials, demonstration packages and training for care and service professionals. Results are being shared through workshops, podcasts, professional networks and public events to support wider uptake by care providers, public authorities, educators, companies and other organisations.

Co-funded by the European Union through Interreg Baltic Sea Region, SmartAging is working towards a region where older people can live with greater dignity, independence and belonging—and where organisations can adopt tested, adaptable and sustainable solutions beyond the project’s lifetime.