ABOUT PROJECT
The project AGELESS is co-financial Europe Union, addresses the small-scale partnership with five institutions in three different countries Portugal, Spain and France.
The major objectives ‘Encouraging sport and physical activity as well as the Erasmus+ priority ‘Inclusion and diversity, given its focus on fostering transnational methods to promote health-enhancing physical activity and sports programs for vulnerable groups.
The AGELESS project contributes to achieving the goal of the EU Work Plan for sport (2021-2024) to increase participation in sport and health-enhancing physical activity, and the recommendations of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan (EU Communication 44/2021) on improving health promotion through physical activity. The EU Physical Activity Guidelines acknowledge that physical activity and sports practice improve health and well-being, and recognize the role of health care professionals, one of the project’s target groups, in the promotion of physical activity as a habit.
OBJECTIVES AGELESS
> Reducing the risks of premature aging of persons with disabilities or cognitive problems through increased physical activity and training;
> Skilling healthcare staff and trainers in delivering innovative sports and physical activity programs to prevent premature aging of persons with disabilities or cognitive impairments;
> Boosting international cooperation of the partners through the establishment of an informal network;
> Boosting the recovery through physical activity of the most vulnerable EU citizens who were negatively affected by the coronavirus restrictions;
> Increasing the social inclusion of persons with disabilities or cognitive impairments after the Covid-19 pandemic through equal access to physical exercise and sports practice;
> Increasing the use of digital devices and online training tools for coaches, trainers, and persons with disabilities or cognitive impairments.
PLAN WORK
A cycle of 3 transnational meetings will involve dozens of trainers, sport staff, health and care professionals as well as athletes from the participating organizations.
Each meeting will focus on a thematic topic related to the best training programmes for disadvantaged individuals to contain their risk of premature ageing.
The best practices and outcomes of the meetings will be collected in a Handbook and a Protocol to ensure regular physical activity against premature ageing. AGELESS impact includes also the reinforcement of the EU dimension – through the establishment of a transnational network – and of social inclusion and life expectancy of persons with disabilities.