P4 Skilled and socially inclusive region
4.1. More people benefiting from stronger Central Baltic communities
Southern Finland - Estonia
01.09.2015 - 31.08.2017
€269 231
€209 113
The project SIPPE aims at increasing the well-being and social inclusion of the elderly by offering them better possibilities for voluntary work and participation in the society through social activities. The idea is to prevent problems like loneliness, health loss and depression by developing cost-effective methods to activate the elderly and, in this way, maintain their well-being.
In practice the project develops a concept called the “well-being party” where the model comes from network marketing businesses (e.g. Tupperware) but has no monetary aspect involved. Voluntary people are trained to hold parties for the elderly people’s own networks in their own homes or other places under different themes like healthy eating, physical activities and social participation possibilities. The project hopes to trigger a snowball effect where participants of the parties become encouraged to host own parties and even become registered volunteers themselves.
As a result of the project elderly communities both in Turku and in Tallinn have encountered several improvements. Participation of the elderly in communal voluntary activities has increased and thus also the social inclusion of the elderly has improved. SIPPE activities strengthen local safety networks and elderly are more capable to take care of themselves as well as of other older people in the community.
Turun Ammattikorkeakoulu
Country: FI
Partner budget: 154.638 EUR
Amount of ERDF funding: 115.979 EUR ERDF
Turun lähimmäispalveluyhdistys ry
Country: FI
Partner budget: 42.687 EUR
Amount of ERDF funding: 32.015 EUR ERDF
Tallinna Tervishoiu Kõrgkooli
Country: EE
Partner budget: 51.178 EUR
Amount of ERDF funding: 43.502 EUR ERDF
Vanurite Eneseabi- ja Nõustamisühing
Country: EE
Partner budget: 20.726 EUR
Amount of ERDF funding: 17.617 EUR ERDF
Expected results
In addition to registered volunteers, SIPPE has reached a number of other elderly through well-being parties. In the well-being parties participating elderly have gotten information about healthy diet, physical activities, need of rest and social participation possibilities but more importantly tips how to implement these in their own lives in practice. By taking part in one party or in several parties elderly established new social contacts among local peers and got support for maintaining well-being. Registered volunteers also encouraged participants to bring out their own special skills in the parties, which strengthened participants’ feeling of necessity and supported self-esteem.
As a result of the project elderly communities both in Turku and in Tallinn have encountered several improvements. Participation of elderly in communal voluntary activities has increased and thus also the social inclusion of elderly has improved. SIPPE activities have strengthened local safety networks and elderly are more capable to take care of themselves and of other older people in the community.