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Cáritas Coimbra participated in the II Congress of Continuous and Palliative Care that took place on November 21st and 22nd, at the Headquarters of the S. João de Deus Institute (promoter of the event), in Lisbon.

During the first day of the congress, which was sold out, parallel sessions were held. Andrea Campos, from the Innovation Department of Cáritas Coimbra, was a speaker at the session that addressed New Technologies. In her speech, she shared the work done by the organization on digital health, using as an example some of the projects developed in the area, such as GrowMeUp and ReHab.

GrowMeUp, a project completed last year, has developed an innovative assisted living robot – GrowMu – that can support the needs of 65+ citizens in their daily living activities. The main goal was to provide an affordable robot that could learn from these people’s habits/routines, adapting its features to compensate for the constant deterioration of cognitive ability while ensuring consistent service delivery and quality of life throughout the aging process. A group of Cáritas Coimbra users tested the GrowMeUp pilot to determine its effectiveness. The project was co-financed by the European Union under the H2020 program.

The ReHab project is being implemented in 2019. Its main objective is the cognitive stimulation and functional rehabilitation, individually and in-group, of older people in assisted environment and at home. Cáritas Coimbra coordinates the project with the collaboration of Pedro Nunes Institute and Fraunhofer AICOS, providing participants with a multidimensional kit of innovative technologies and traditional materials, ranging from geriatric games to cognitive training games available on a tablet, passing through interaction with an avatar. BPI Bank funds ReHab under the BPI Seniors 2018 Program.

This session was an excellent opportunity for Cáritas Coimbra to make their work known, especially in the area of digital health, and to disseminate the projects developed at this level. The organization aims to continue to contribute to the evolution and adaptation of environments for all citizens, so interaction with other organizations and participation in events contributes to an enriching experience, allowing the share of knowledge, other visions and realities.