Medical Delta Program ‘Old is Gold'

How do elderly people stay healthy for as long as possible? A lot of research is being done on this. The number of innovations that positively affect the health of older adults is also increasing. However, many of these insights and innovations do not reach the elderly. The Medical Delta program 'Old is Gold' is establishing an infrastructure to remove as many barriers as possible to daily use by older adults.

The program takes a radically different approach compared to the usual implementation of innovations, namely by 'just getting started'.

That sounds simple, but it requires a structured infrastructure and close collaboration between researchers, innovators, (care) institutions, educational institutions, professionals, and of course, the elderly themselves.

The first challenge is finding locations close to the target group and bringing together parties interested in investing time, money, and effort in initiatives at those locations. By running the implementation projects through vocational education, it becomes easier to set up structured activities and incorporate implementation activities into educational objectives. This also helps ensure the sustainability of the projects.

The Medical Delta program 'Old is Gold' ensures that existing knowledge within research and care institutions directly benefits the elderly, initially in the municipality of Delft. Home-dwelling elderly, in particular, prove to be a difficult group to reach for positive health initiatives. Through the infrastructure established by the program, activities can be undertaken that positively impact the health and well-being of home-dwelling elderly.

Involving mbo-, hbo-, and wo-education 

The program primarily focuses on setting up transdisciplinary (educational) projects on the themes of 'physical activity', 'lifestyle', and 'nutrition'. In these projects, vocational, higher professional, and university education work together. By involving education, the program creates continuity and improves relationships between students, as well as between students and (elderly) residents. Ultimately, structural projects emerge from research programs, which are linked to transdisciplinary educational programs and stem from direct collaboration with (extramural) care and welfare organizations.

The Medical Delta program 'Old is Gold' gives existing and new activities a 'boost' by setting up an infrastructure for translating existing and new knowledge into concrete practical applications for the elderly. The established infrastructure simplifies the steps from 'consultation' to 'availability' to 'application' and can serve as a model for other initiatives.

Goals

The Medical Delta program 'Old is Gold' aims to create an infrastructure that makes it easier to deliver existing knowledge and expertise in care innovations to elderly people. The program aims to:

• improve the health and well-being of elderly people;
• integrate socially relevant activities into vocational, higher professional, and university education;
• facilitate collaboration between students from various educational levels and with elderly people.

Contact

For more information or if you're interested in participating, please contact one of our innovation managers.