Time: 24-25 March 2000
Place: Hotel Brussels, Avenue Louise 315, B-1050 Bruxelles
Participants:
Antero Heloma, chair, Provincial State Office of Southern Finland
Olimpia Haritidou, Union of Local Authorities of Prefecture of Kilkis, Greece
Marie Johansson, County Council of Västmanland, Sweden
Harri Mäkinen, Elimäki Institute of Social Welfare, Finland
Tuuli Paaksi, Harju County Government, Estonia
Gabriela Semrian, The City Hall of Timisoara, Romania
Sara Åslund, County Council of Västmanland, Sweden
Tarja Äijälä, Provincial State Office of Southern Finland
1. Opening of the meeting
The chairman, Antero Heloma opened the meeting and welcomed all participants to the
meeting.
The project manager gave a summary of the actions taken after the previous Steering
Committee meeting in December in Kilkis. The six-monthly report was sent to the European
Commission on the 2nd of March 2000. In 1999 SPE-project has used 18 % of its total
budget. The Phare countries have had only little expenditure due to the late reception of
the Phare contract. The Province of S. Finland will submit to the Commission as soon as
possible a request of extension of the project until November 2001.
The data collection on elderly people's injuries began 1st January 2000 and will last six
months. The expert working groups have started their work. Each working group need not
have a representative from every region. If no person is nominated, the regional
co-ordinator is the contact person and the information is passed on to them.
Training has started at the intraregional level. In each region a person responsible for
training activities has been nominated. In future the interregional training must be
stressed more.
The regional co-ordinators have alerted the media on the activities of the SPE project.
Local newspaper coverage has been gained in all countries, in some countries there has
been also national and regional TV coverage.
The project manager gave an outlook to the activities for the next six months:
- The data collection on accidents will be finalised. The results will be analysed by the
Västmanland County Council.
- The pilot centre for home care staff is being set up in Romania.
- The renovation of the day care centre in Estonia continues
- Dissemination of the results is to be continued and intensified.
- Interim report is to be sent to the European Commission before summer 2000, depending on
the request from the Commission.
- The mid-project meeting of SPE will be held in Västerås 28-30 May 2000
2. Approval of the agenda for the meeting
The agenda for the meeting was approved.
3. Approval of the minutes for the 3rd meeting of the Steering Committee
The minutes for the 3rd meeting of the Steering Committee in Kilkis was approved.
4a. Progress reports from the ERDF regions
Västmanland:
The activities of the Bergslag co-operation in Västmanland are organised taking into
consideration the needs and wishes of the participating municipalities, and differences
between them. In Bergslagen a half-day seminar was held on 8 March 2000 with 60 persons
participating. The local activities of SPE began in Västmanland with two seminars in
March. The seminars were directed to politicians, decision-makers and civil servants in
care of the services for the elderly. The seminars dealt with health of the elderly and
fall injury prevention, as well as a presentation of the SPE project.
Training of nursing staff in fall injury prevention and risk awareness will start in the
municipalities during spring or early summer.
In Bergslagen, two different types of hip-protective aids have been purchased for testing
during 6 months. In Västmanland seven loading belts will be purchased.
Kilkis:
The study on social isolation has started in the Kilkis prefecture. Three municipalities
and one open care centre already have relevant analytical data on social isolation. The
study was carried out during the visits to the homes of the elderly by the project staff.
The training is divided into four modules:
1. Training for the responsible of the 11 municipalities of the Kilkis prefecture,
concerning the registration of accidents
2. Training, with regard to the social isolation of the elderly
3. Training seminars for people responsible in municipalities that are interested in
carrying out the SPE project in their territories 4. Training seminars for voluntary
caretakers and relatives
In January 2000 the Epimorfotiki Kilkis Ltd implemented the first module of its training
programme.
The institution is preparing the second training module concerning the "Social
isolation of the Elderly - Actuality and perspectives".
The ULAK is going to set up an Internet page of their own for SPE. The page will be have a
link to the home page of SPE.
Southern Finland:
The data collection of injuries started on 1 January 2000.
A regional co-ordinator has been nominated and he has arranged local meetings with the
associate partners, NGO's, elderly peoples associations and local inhabitants.
The principal partner has arranged two larger network meetings. The national steering
group has had two meetings.
All associate partners and three municipalities have given sub-project proposals on how to
be involved in the SPE project. In the next network meeting on 11 April 2000 a decision
will be made on how these sub-projects should be carried out.
Local newspapers have shown quite of lot of interest to the project.
The design of the Internet page has started. Information on the project can be found in
the address www.speproject.net.
4b. Progress reports from the Phare regions
Timisoara:
The data collection of accidents started on 1 February 2000. The questionnaire on social
isolation has been designed and tested with a group of elderly in Timisoara. The elderly
wanted to respond and they had no difficulties with the questions. The questionnaire has
been sent on to the partners for comments. The survey will be analysed by the West
University of Timisoara. The City Hall of Timisoara is looking for suitable premises for
the pilot centre. The premises need an approval from the City Council.
Three meetings of the local expert working groups have been arranged.
Harju:
The registration of accidents started on 1 January 2000. A check-up will be performed in
order to guarantee the registration of all cases with the Central Sickness Fund, where the
information about the accidents can also be obtained.
The study of social isolation in Harju County will start in autumn 2000.
The renovation of the day care centre is in progress. In the Estonian Phare budget no
money has been allocated for furniture. The training of the staff will start on 30 March
2000. The training will comprise two-day training sessions organised once a month. The
salaries of the caretakers are paid by the municipality of Keila.
Two newspaper articles and a brochure on SPE have been published.
The kick-off seminar was organised on 12 January 2000.
5. Co-operation proposal for the SPE training institutions
Harri Mäkinen presented the co-operation proposal. The proposal will be sent to the
partners on week 13. Possibilities for a new proposal for the exchange of students were
discussed.
6. Data collection on accidents
Southern Finland
In Finland one hospital and four health centres are involved in the registration. So far,
two health centres have reported on the accidents monthly. Most of the accidents are taken
care of by the hospital, which has not yet sent the monthly reports.
Västmanland
In Sweden four hospitals and 15 health centres are involved in the registration.
Altogether, 200-300 injuries have been reported monthly.
Kilkis
Two hospitals and 45 village surgeries are involved in registration. Most of the incidents
have been reported from the hospitals. In January more accidents occurred outside than in
February. Accidents that occurred to men were more serious than those suffered by women.
Most accidents occurred in homes or in their vicinity.
Timisoara
An orthopaedic hospital and a group of family doctors are involved in registration.
Altogether, 96 accidents have been registered during February. Most of the accidents
occurred in homes.
Harju
During January and February, 73 cases were registered - 26 men and 47 women. Most
accidents were registered by the hospital. Incompletely filled registration sheets have
been the main problem.
7. Project evaluation plan
The expert working group 2 has sent the evaluation plan and questionnaire form to the
principal partners. The leader of the working group, Sara Åslund would like to have more
feedback from the partners in the future. The information collected will be sent to the
members of working group 2 and the regional co-ordinators.
Sara Åslund presented a proposal for the internal evaluation and a method for evaluation.
The proposed method for data collection is continuing documentation and group interviews.
A report of the evaluation will be written in the end of the project.
The proposal for internal evaluation was accepted.
8. Social isolation of elderly people
Gabriela Semrian introduced the questionnaire of social isolation to the partners. The
Steering Committee proposed some changes in the questionnaire. The West University of
Timisoara will make these changes and send the revised questionnaire form to the partners
in two weeks. The study will be performed among 500 elderly in the Timisoara area.
Harju County Government and the City Hall of Timisoara will carry out the questionnaire
study on social isolation. The ULAK will inform Gabriela Semrian and the project manager
in week 13 how they will take part in the study. Finland and Sweden will not carry out the
questionnaire study, but they will send the results of earlier studies made in these
countries to Romania.
9. Technical aid and gerontechnology
Olivia Haritidou, leader of working group 4 has visited the orthopaedic department of the
Kilkis hospital and some manufactures of the equipment. In the orthopaedic department of
the Kilkis hospital a wide range of equipment is used. Orthopaedic equipment is ordered
from Germany, the USA and England. Physiotherapeutic equipment is ordered from Italy,
Germany and the Netherlands. Some Ínternet addresses and photographic material were given
for information to the Steering Committee.
The ULAK will publish a brochure on gerontechnological equipment in English and Greek. The
brochure that will be ready in a month will be sent to the partners for their information.
The ULAK will complete a list of the members of working group 4 to be sent to the
principal partners.
10. Budgetary matters
Antero Heloma presented the ERDF budget. The ULAK has sent a new budget proposal.
Västmanland County Council will also send their new proposal to the project management.
The ERDF partners must send copies of their invoices and a summary list of these documents
to the project management (S. Finland) when requested. The partners must preserve all the
original documents for three years following the date of the last payment made by the
Commission. Estonia has received the first Phare payment from the Commission. The first
advance will be sent to the Romanian partner after their signing of the co-operation
agreement with the Harju County Government. The City Hall of Timisoara will send a report
with copies of the invoices of the expenditure to Estonia monthly.
The partners shall send their interim reports to project management by 15 June 2000.
11. Promotional activities
The Internet home page is working, but still under construction. The partners will send
their comments to the project secretary, Tarja Äijälä as soon as possible. If the
partners have information related to the SPE project on their own Internet pages they
should send it to the project management.
The first newsletter will be published in summer 2000. The partners will send their
materials to Tarja Äijälä during April.
A brochure in English about the SPE project will be made.
12. Mid-project meeting in Västmanland
The meeting will take place 28-30 May 2000 in Västerås.
A separate meeting of the training institutions will also be held.
The partners should send information of the number of participants to Marie Johansson in
two weeks.
13. Ending of the meeting
The chairman thanked the participants and ended the meeting. The 5th meeting of the
Steering Committee will take place during the major meeting in Sweden.
The next Steering Committee meetings:
28-30 May 2000, Västerås
22-23 September 2000 (preliminary)
Antero Heloma
Chairman
Tarja Äijälä
Secretary