Active & Healthy Ageing: Reference sites receive their stars!

32 star cities and regions across Europe have been rewarded for putting innovative ideas into practice to help older people. These award-winners have been implementing innovative technological, social or organisational solutions to enhance the efficiency of health and social care systems, and foster innovation and economic growth. "Reference sites" from 12 EU countries received their star diplomas at a ceremony hosted by Neelie Kroes, European Commission Vice-President for the Digital Agenda and Paola Testori Coggi, Director General of DG Health & Consumers.

Star winners came from the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands and the UK. 13 Reference Sites have received three stars, 12 received two stars and 7 one star. Five more received a 'special mention' to reflect remarkable achievements in scaling-up, outcomes and integration. See catalogue for full details.

All Reference Sites have committed to share their achievements with others and transfer knowledge across Europe. They adopted several of the 6 actions of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP-AHA): medication adherence, fall prevention, frailty and malnutrition, integrated care, independent living and age-friendly environments.

Reference Sites are coalitions of regions, cities, integrated hospitals or care organisations that aim to p! rovide concrete examples of innovative services with proven added value to citizens and care systems in EU regions. Some of them have contributed to growth and job creation in their areas and many have extended elements of their best practice from local to regional or national level.

By showcasing Reference Sites, the EIP-AHA aims to identify, rate and award the best places to see workable innovation in practice across Europe. 56 Reference Sites applied and 32 underwent an extensive self-assessment and peer review covering three criteria: innovation, scalability & replicability and outcomes of good practices.

• More information on the EIP-AHA