This website was created to manage the initiative related to the 'calls for proposals' announced by the RTD&D Commission of EU.
 
The content of the page:
 
1. Objectives of the website and data concerning the open calls of proposals suitable for the discussed subject
2. Introduction to the indicated problem
3. List of institutions and people who are already interested
4. First comments of people, who received the letter
 
Important our and external Internet resources
 

1. Objectives of the website and data concerning the open calls of proposals suitable for the discussed subject
 
    The subject could be presented for  following  ' calls  for proposals '   :
 
(1). " New and Emerging Science and Technology " - action line 'Adventure' ( call reference number/identifier : FP6-2003-NEST-A -
          http://www.cordis.lu/fp6/nest.htm  )
 
(2).   " Citizens and Governance in a knowledge-based society " call reference number/identifier: FP6-2002-Citizens-3 -  Research
        Area 5 : Articulation of areas of responsibility  and new forms of governance  - 5.1.1 Public interest: conception, regulation and
        implementation
        ( http://fp6.cordis.lu/citizens/call_details.cfm?CALL_ID=14 )
 
  Ad.(1) The RTD&D Commission precise ( http://www.cordis.lu/fp6/nest_mechanisms.htm ) that:
" .. ADVENTURE projects should address very challenging objectives in a novel and adventurous way to develop new scientific understanding and technological capabilities. They should use unconventional and innovative approaches, bringing together teams of researchers with different areas of expertise. Researchers will be expected to show strong personal commitment to their projects, appropriate to the high potential rewards expected... ADVENTURE projects must be of truly excellent scientific quality, and have well-defined objectives. In principle, ADVENTURE projects may be undertaken in any research field, with the expectation that in many cases, they will be multidisciplinary. ADVENTURE projects will generally be implemented as 'specific targeted research projects'..."
The commission foresee for the mentioned type of proposals so called STREP instrument ( specific targeted research project  )  The possible budget can not exceed  600 000 E. The STREP instrument is rather simple and suitable for small consortia. . The proposal can be presented only in in two step procedure. First so called ' outline proposal '  should be submitted ). The part B of the proposal can not exceed 5 pages. The second deadline for these ' outline proposals '  is 22 October 2003.
 
Ad.(2)  The RTD&D Commission precise in the " Work program " of the  ' action line'   { 5.1.1.  Public interest: conception, regulation and implementation }  that : 
"... The objective is to improve understanding of the concepts of and identify policy options in relation to the public interest in Europe. Research should compare such concepts, and identify factors leading to changes in the notion of the public interest and its implementation especially through the provision of public services (or "services of general interest").   It should assess the economic, territorial, social and political impact of the various forms of liberalisation of public services, including on quality of life of sections of the population, and address related policy issues from a cross-country perspective. Comparison of the theory behind the changes and the reality in practice, including effectiveness and efficiency in service provision. Governance issues including regulation, public sector change, international trade and investment negotiations, rights of access to such services, relations between public and private interests, and questions of democratic scrutiny. A wide range of public services and a longer-term perspective should be included.  Comparative work is essential, using the most relevant experiences from developed and developing countries...."

   The call for proposals : FP6-2002-Citizens-3  assume only the ' Integrated Project ' or Network of Excellence instruments. The  deadline for the first call is: 12.2003
 
We imagine the cooperation on this subject in the following way:

1. W have begun the construction of this  website, which will serve as a tool to communicate and gather slowly all necessary materials necessary to complete the text of the proposal.
2. The first stage could consists on the 'brain storming phase'.
3. On the basis of this kind of discussion we will try to formulate: work package list, deliverables list, work package descriptions and present them in this  website also. It would be useful and the work would progress quickly if interested potential partners will formulate work packages about the work, which they would like to perform.
4. When the website will contain almost all necessary documents some final steps necessary to the elaboration of the proposal can be accomplished also by any partner, who would like to take the role of the general coordinator.
5. The presented methodology of the elaboration of the proposal will be possible when the objectives , final goal and the outline of necessary work aiming to the fixed goal of the project will be presented in more details. So we concentrate  here first on formulation of the draft of the proposal.    
 

  
          Well being and health of older people - enhancement of new forms of  care and help
by a ' personal and societal on line helping tool '.
   
Outline of the proposal of the project
 
      

Introduction.
 
   European   population become older. The percentage of old people increase.   Average feeling,  general well being  and health  of  older people is   not very good. They suffer often by reason of  chronic diseases  and  decreased mood or even depression. Loneliness, low self esteem, feeling of live meaningless  are their frequent problems.
 
   Sometime  the family  help older members. In some countries people on retreat are supplied by funds derivated in fact from taxes paid by younger members of  the society.. It is known already that these social protection will decrease. These expenses are to big in  ageing societies. On average  older people anyhow   feels usually  secluded or  isolated from important matters  and they fee   needless.
 
   The role of  an animator, who could be able to engage older  people again into essential matters  could be conceived. Sometime this role could be performed by so called social workers, but  ' animators '   of older people  should  refer to institutional,  societal tools, resources and structures. Otherwise it is impossible to   reproduce  real  involvement of older people in  meaningful events, happenings and  actions. The effective help  enabling to overcome the feeling of needless  should consist   on the creation of   contact  with those people,   who suffer by reason of opposite needs. It is necessary to put them  in touch  with people who feel deficit of presence.
 
   Therefore  formulation and eventual creation of  a ' societal, informational and software  supporting structure '   is  justified. We try to describe  this kind of ' personal and societal on line helping tool ' bellow  by  description of   endeavors which should be performed to  obtain the mentioned  '  institutional,  societal tools, resources and structures '
 
   We  formulate the description of  these necessary  endeavors  in worm of outlines of work package,  which should be realized  during the eventual  performance of the appropriate project.
 
1. Formulation of  the   concept of   ' essential medical care '  
    Older people suffer  often  by reason of many chronic diseases. It is natural that they are  in frequent contact with medical care services. Many ' health insurance  institutions '  maintain however  system of  ' clearing of accounts '   based on  the number of   performed  visits and examinations. Older people are particularly liable to   exaggerated  over - diagnosis. They are often ' carriers of points ' important for finances of medical institutions. Therefore the ' essential  medical care system '  based on holistic, psychosomatic approach for older people  should be  determined. 
 
2. Formulation of  structure and  action of  ' social support centers '.
    Unnecessary frequent medical activities could  be replaced  by visits  in a special ' social support centers ' prepared for activities enabling to overcome the real essential causes of bad feeling, which results most often from { loneliness, isolation, needless, inactivity, boredom, low self esteem, feeling of live meaningless, frustration, helplessness }. Certainly those centers should be run by well trained and motivated ' animators '. In the future these people should grasp the knowledge of  psychology specialized   in problems of  older people. Animators of SSC should have possibility  to refer to  many special material and informational resources. These centers should  maintain ( i ) many activities enhancing  human contacts and utilize many
( ii ) supporting tools. We determine them in next work packages. Apart of the office and specialized  facilities of the ' animators '  a center of this kind should run a kind of ' a local club  for members'.  This club should be open  and should be run on the basis of attractive center of  activity also for other  potential interested group of younger people. This activity should be  similar to ' culture clubs', ' hostels for creative people ' or simple a good prospering pension, tavern etc. SSC  could by partly sponsored  by new  financial mechanisms described bellow. It is impportant however that the manager of a SSC will take most of responsibility  to obtain  a good  results in social and   economic aspects of the activity of his SSC. He should be partly the agent and partly the owner of the SSC. The competitive mechanism should be implement to search for   appropriate managers of SSC.  The task of the management of SSC should be profitable for agents. Competition should exists also among SSCs. So, in general  activities of SSCs should partly consist on normal free market  rules. 
 
3. Definition of  complementary human contacts  and its management.
 
   On average,  older people suffer   by reason of loneliness. They feel often  not needed and not involved  in important happenings. Often  it is a real   fact. The week involvement  in significant  matters  results not only   by  isolation  from  past  acquainted  people but  also by week present ability to bound  new relationships.
   We mentioned that  ' effective help  enabling to overcome the feeling of needless  should consist  on the creation of    contact  with those people,  who suffer by reason of opposite needs '. It is necessary to put them  in touch  with people,   who feel ' deficit of presence '. Examples   are children, who instead of human contacts watch television, patients in many hospitals, other  lonely elder people and so on.
    The detailed list of ' complementary human contacts should be elaborated. The mentioned
' social support centers  ' should facilitate   management of those contacts. The appropriate software platforms could be elaborate to  organize  arrangements of   those  contacts. The principle of  ' virtual temporary family membership (VTFM) ' could serve as example of  new   form of   involvement in needed contacts. VTFM could consist  on   temporary stay of an older person  in apartments of families which need ' amplification of presence '. It could be organized on the principle of so called ' virtual hotels ( pensions) '. A room could be hired for an older person who would like to realize care on children  or other members of the family. It would be two sides services. An older person will obtain the opportunity to live temporary  in new, attractive place  and the family with the deficit of presence  will  improve sane, humane relationships. Of course an appropriate software platform  should be defined, elaborated end implemented to enable search for this kind of exchange of services.
 
4. Determination of a range of  non - pharmacological methods stimulating  mood  and self - esteem.
    It seems that some ' healing methods ' can be especially suitable for the improvement of    well being  and average mood of older people  on  the principle of the   intensification of the awareness  of oneself    and    better  recall of  own biography, especially of positive aspects of past  events.
    Access to the images of past events can be impaired  not only by  distorted ability of remembrances but also by  mental   fragmentation  of  
(1)  real  own  actions ( events ) in  the past,
(2)   by later  mental rather negative  judgements and   evaluations of  own past acts.
   We characterize the essence of this kind of methods in more details under :
   http://e-learning5.webpark.pl/adventure.htm
    The ' animators' or therapeutists employed  in ' social support centers '  should be able to indicate and train members of the club in utilization of  those mentioned methods.
 
5. Definition of the journal ( weekly ), TV channel, and mobile phone service specialized in problems of   older people.

It seems that most of journals, especially weekly and monthly magazines focus on problems relevant to younger people. The weekly magazine devoted to older people is necessary. This journal could be also the guide supporting managers and ' animators ' of mentioned ' social support centers '. It could promote various possible activities of SSCs.
Similarly the specialized TV channels, which will concentrate on problems and needs of older people, would be use full too. These TV channel could realize also many task useful for activity of SSCs. It would be useful also for so called ' friendly retreat insurance foundations '
( f- RIF ), defined below in the point 7.
Mobile phones are not shaped in a friendly manner for older people. The management of the access to mentioned complementary human contacts could be facilitated by services based on transmition of 'short messages'. On of the task of project work packages will consist on definition and detailed formulation of assumptions and rules of actions of specialized journal, TV channel and mobile phone services.
 
6. Definition of the software platform ( website ) supporting  action of  ' social support centers ' ,  specialized insurance companies as well as particular interested persons.

 Our project assumes that emotional support and help for older people should be transmitted by people. The most deficit value in ageing society is the ' human presence '.
We conceived the formula of ' social support centers ' to plan ways for human emotional help and support. The tasks and actions of SSCs are however sophisticated. Probably only a part of formed SSCs will succeed to create the friendly and attractive ambiance. Therefore the source of information for managers and animators of SSCs is necessary. We plan that this kind of information will be supplied be an appropriate website (software platform). So called of ' friendly retreat insurance foundations (f-RIF) ' will need also a medium of the transmission of important information.
One of the task of the project should consist on the elaboration and implementation of the appropriate website. This WWW page could be treated as the 'origin' of this software platform.

7. Definition of structure, organization rules and economic  principles of new kind of  ' retreat insurance foundation'
 
    Apart of state guaranties  for payments of retreat pensions, in some countries  so called ' retreat insurance foundations ' exist. Usually action  of   these foundations concern  only  financial issues. Shortly speaking,  members of particular foundation pay during many years of  participation   fee,  which is gathered on  their accounts . The foundation invests this money and usually augment the value of  its  funds. In the time of retreat,  the foundation is able to pay  pensions. Retreat insurance foundations  deduct  provision, therefore they are profitable institutions.
   We assume that the essential task of the  presented project will consists on the definition, and formulation of  structure, financial mechanisms and  detailed rules of action of another kind of  ' retreat insurance foundations ' ( RIF ) . In order  to  communicate effectively  we will  name here this new  kind of  RIF  as  friendly - RIF ( f-RIF ).  Here, in this draft   we precise only the most important general rule.  The f-RIF should   gather a part of  contributed fees  of members  on separate account, which will be utilized in the time of retreat for  payment of the membership in a particular  ' social support center '  and  different  services mentioned in  above points of the draft of the proposal ( essential medical care, management of complementary human contacts, non-pharmacological curing methods and so on ). Probably the utilization of this  part of gathered money  should be optional. Sometime a member of  f-RIF could  design  this money on other expenses according to his will.  The
institution of  f-RIF  kind should be profitable. Moreover  its additional action and good reputation  can  attract them   more clients.         
 
The content of this website will be developed !

 
Prof. Andrzej Brodziak, M.D. Ph.D., Dr.S
e-mail andrzejbrodziak@wp.pl also anbro@interia.pl
 

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