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GOLD – Getting Older with a Disability

GOLD is an Erasmus+ funded project that aims to develop a methodology and tools to enhance the skills of professionals (EQF 4 to 6) and volunteers working in the disability and/or older people’s sectors, so that they are better able to provide quality services in the care and support of ageing people with disabilities.

The increase of life expectancy of people with disabilities also means that new needs are emerging in terms of care and support. However, the services and professionals who work with this community are not ready to meet this demand due to lack of relevant skills and vision to adapt their service model accordingly.

All European countries are affected by this demographic change and must/will take strong measures to ensure adequate care for this population. To achieve this, it will be necessary, in the long term, to create (and continue to develop) structures specialising in the care of ageing people with disabilities. The ambition of the GOLD project is to be able to create tangible, easy-to-use products to train and equip professionals (social, para-medical, educational and care) for this transition of care and accommodation services.

Objectives

The main objectives of the GOLD project are to:

  • Train and equip professionals and volunteers in the disability and/or elderly sectors to respond consistently and continuously to the needs of the ageing disabled population;
  • Contribute to ensuring social inclusion, appropriate support, self-determination and respect for the dignity of people with disabilities as they age;
  • Raise awareness on the issues of ageing for people with disabilities among professionals in the sectors concerned, as well as among the beneficiaries themselves, their close relatives/family carers, the public authorities concerned and civil society as a whole.

These objectives will be achieved through:

  • Documentary and/or field research and collection of testimonies (experiences) via qualitative interviews identifying the needs of care staff in the disability and/or elderly sectors. This will form the basis for the development of a competency framework and its pedagogical framework;
  • The development of an e-platform and a featured training programme comprising of 5 modules;
  • The organisation of a test training session for trainers (transnational) and subsequent local pilot training sessions;
  • Development o f a toolkit for adapting services and practices;
  • A series of recommendations addressed to political decision-makers and stakeholders in the EU to promote a common vision, over and above national differences in terms of legislation, age thresholds, existing care services, etc;
  • Relevant ongoing awareness-raising activities aimed at people with disabilities and their carers, public institutions and players in the third sector, as well as the general public, who need to be better prepared to accept older people with disabilities.

Partners

The project is led by the Association de Gestion des Fonds Européens (AGFE) / Association of Management of European Funds (France) / and is implemented together with eight other organisations:

Contacts