PR 00159

Wellbeing and food is the second theme that partners have identified as a key issue that is both important for the elderly and provides good development potential for the local economy: several smart and unlikely combinations can be established here. The proposed pilots also address a particular territorial challenge of the 2 Seas coastal areas: isolation and loneliness is a common problem among elderly. Especially in places where first and second residents and tourists form distinct groups of elderly, the problem is even further exacerbated. The partners tackle the topic from a number of different angles: wellbeing in the context of specific health problems (Norfolk, Dementia Friendly Walking), the inclusion of caregivers and local farms in the cycle (France), healthy food (Zeeland) and communication aspects (Belgium). This variety ensures that the developed solutions can be taken up by many other communities, depending on what particular problems they face.

It also means that the SAIL social innovation process will be tested against different conditions: concrete pilot ideas and solutionopen pilots are competing strategies to find out which process works more effectively. As for the movement pilots, no investments are planned: where investments are necessary, they will be financed through other means. Each pilot is expected to deliver a social and/or economic return and the readiness of stakeholders to invest in this process is a further factor to define the success.