One of the strategic orientations of the College of Nursing in Celje is, in line with the development strategy 2014-2018, the acquisition of and integration into a number of international research and development projects.

In the year 2014 we were successful in applying to the Erasmus+ tender, Key Action 2: Strategic Partnerships in Higher Education. Together with our partner institutions: Medical University of Lublin (Poland), University of Oulu, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Health Sciences (Finland) and Cooperativa de La Superior Politecnico e Universitário-CESPO (Portugal), we will therefore in this and the next year implement the project called Healthy Lifestyle for Aging Well (HLAW). HLAW is an innovative project, through which we aim to contribute towards the raised awareness of the elderly in the field of healthy lifestyle in order to enable quality and active ageing.

The old age is a topic too little talked about, and therefore something we are ill-prepared for.  And yet for an efficient health care system it is important that elderly people stay healthy, active and independent. Nurses, who advise the elderly on a healthy lifestyle, also play an important role in the aging process. 

 The aim of the project is to improve the quality of life of the elderly as well as their health through additional education of health care students, through engaging them actively and raising  their awareness towards this problematic. One of the main aims of the project is to help the elderly function as active members of the society and to help them stay active in the society as long as possible.

 The two main target groups, which will be included in the project activities, are the nursing students and the elderly. In addition to these two, the project also addresses higher education teachers and researchers, and other interested parties who wish to obtain and share knowledge, ideas and practical experience from the areas under consideration.

In the context of the project, two intensive programmes (summer schools) have been planned to be implemented at the College of Nursing in Celje. The first summer school took place from May 25th until June 5th, 2015, and the second one will take place from May 23rd until June 3rd, 2016. At the summer schools, we will enable active participation to 18 foreign students and to 9 foreign higher education teachers as well as to 6 students and to 3 higher education teachers of the College of Nursing in Celje. In the framework of the intensive programme the students will be able to:

-        gain new expertise, ideas and experiences and share them with the domestic and foreign students and lecturers,

-         participate actively through the implementation of various workshops and fieldwork,

-        socialize with the elderly and raise their awareness about a healthy lifestyle,

-        strengthen their intercultural competences.

An important part of the project will consist of various research activities, which will enable the students to critically and analytically research the field with the help of higher education teachers and to compare and share the knowledge, ideas, and examples of good practices with the participants and participating countries. 

The main results of the project will be:

-       a new Web portal, which will be devoted to the health literacy of the elderly

-    5 new optional subjects, which will be available to the students by all of the partner organisations,

-        recommendations for further work in the field of healthy lifestyle of the elderly,

-        guidelines for ethical conduct in the care for the elderly,

-        guidelines for the development of new programmes for the healthy lifestyle of the elderly

-        DVD with footage of physical exercises (with instructions and recommendations),

-    a brochure, in which all the main results of the project, recommendations and guidelines  will be collected.

A lot of effort will be dedicated to the evaluation of the project and its results, as well as to the dissemination of the results among the target groups, local authorities and the general public, with the aim to increase the awareness of the elderly as well as of the society. The purpose of the project is also to create and offer long-term benefits in the form of the results of the project, which will be freely available to everyone.

With the purpose of building good foundations for further cooperation there was on Monday, November 10th, 2014, at the College of Nursing organized the first meeting of partnering organizations. We were very pleased with the execution, as we successfully discussed the project management and meticulously outlined all the further activities.