Interview with Vildana Gacic - City of Rotterdam

What is the main HOPE challenge?

The project HOPE aims to put the severe health threats of heatwaves on the agenda of the older adult service and healthcare sectors and to have an inclusive approach for the whole ecosystem Which are the goals of the project? The objective is to develop and strengthen competences of students, informal caregivers, and professionals in older adult health, care and social sectors on better responding to the needs of older adults during heatwaves and thereby better mitigating the risks. What actions and tools will be developed?

An innovative teaching-tool for students and formal/informal caregivers will be developed and implemented. This tool will be innovative, attractive, and practical to use. The international component will be appealing to the learners, since it provides a broader scope of options on how to deal with heat-problems in times of heatwaves in vulnerable older adults. Increased skills will therefore contribute to better care for older people. We wish to support and stimulate organisations in the older adult ecosystem to apply guidelines and best practices regarding care during heatwaves. The guidelines for ecosystems and the database of good practices will be developed in collaboration with associated partners, older adults and caregivers, and implemented in organisations connected to the project. In addition, local and regional authorities will be supported through policy recommendations on how to play a role in the fight against heat risks for their older inhabitants. The recommendations will be implemented by municipalities connected to the project;

How to you foresee that this project could be a help for other authorities and organizations?

By communicating and disseminating project results and best practices on local, regional, national, European, and international levels, the aims is to develop an integrated approach to be further adopted by other organisations and authorities, decreasing the morbidity and mortality rate and improving the care provided through collaboration, new policies and approaches, knowledge exchange and change management. Vildana Gacic

Project Coordinator