Well-being, care, active ageing and preventive health.
This area is geared towards enhancing people’s quality of life and well-being through technological and digital projects and services that foster mental and physical health. Care and active ageing highlights the importance of maintaining an active and healthy lifestyle as people grow older. Furthermore, there is an emphasis on preventive strategies to address preventive health issues. The care model is also analysed from this perspective.
Circular and collaborative economy
We focus on sustainability and waste reduction. The circular economy involves using resources efficiently and reducing waste production, fostering recycling and reuse.
Partnerships are key to this transition to more sustainable economic models, where businesses and the community work together to minimise environmental impact and promote the responsible use of resources.
In this sense, we promote the adoption of responsible business practices, encouraging the implementation of technologies and more sustainable production strategies.
Training and maker culture
This area emphasises the importance of creativity, innovation and learning by doing. Maker culture fosters the creation and customisation of products by using available technology and tools. Training becomes a core driver to ensure that people have the necessary skills to actively participate in this culture, which may include programming, 3D printing and other technology skills.
Each area highlights the values of Suara Cooperativa and becomes a critical piece in addressing the diverse needs of the community holistically. All these elements are cross-cutting, in the sense that they address various dimensions and aspects of people’s lives in an integrated fashion.
While each area has a specific focus, the social innovation lab is designed to be flexible and adaptable to a broad range of care-related challenges.
This approach enables the lab to effectively address challenges in the fields of wellness and well-being, the circular and collaborative economy, maker culture and empowerment, while at the same time responding to other emerging needs or specific problems related to people’s care.
This flexibility allows the lab to be an agile and reactive platform, capable of generating innovative and customised solutions to address the complexities of social challenges and people care. It is a holistic and integrated way of approaching social innovation to improve community life.
Digital transformation projects
In view of the major challenge of an ageing society, Suara Cooperativa has been working for years on how to address the care of the elderly and people in need of support in their homes.
With the support of grants from the Ministry of Enterprise and Employment and the Ministry of Social Rights, innovative actions are being undertaken.
We have analysed the care role of family workers, dividing their work into four core functions: attending and caring, accompanying, facilitating life and ensuring their safety, contributing to provide comprehensive support that improves the quality of life of users.
Projects
With the goal of providing care for the elderly, with the support of family members and professionals, and taking into consideration that European studies indicate that there will not be enough professionals to guarantee the care of all the elderly in the coming years, a series of projects have been devised:
- Connected Homes is funded by the Ministry of Social Rights with Next Generation funds. The purpose of the project is to make it easier for dependent people to be safe and independent in their own homes. This system brings together voice devices, smartwatches and sensor technology to form a home support system. In a first stage, it is planned to roll out this technology in 100 homes and the goal is to gradually install it in further homes.
- Casal Online is a project that was developed as a response to the unwanted loneliness of people, through television. The programme includes workshops and activities that seek to generate relational spaces to expand the community of elderly people who are lonely, help people to enjoy themselves and improve their sense of well-being.
- Aliura is a benchmark portal on dependency, where families can access information related to dependency and the processes involved. In Catalonia, upwards of 97,000 people accompany dependent family members. In view of this situation and supported by the Singulars funding project, Aliura, Catalonia’s first portal on dependency, has been created.
Benestarum
In the wake of the pandemic, we noticed that many of Suara Cooperativa’s workers were suffering from emotional stress.
Because of this, we offered them both psychological and physiotherapeutic virtual counselling. As time went by, they also saw the benefits for their emotional and physical well-being.
Thus, the Benestarum platform was created, whereby entities, organisations and companies offer a global health service for workers. But now, we have expanded the range of services, through short online sessions, we offer support in different areas: psychological, physical, nutritional advice.
Thus, Benestarum offers access to a team of psychologists who are ready to listen and offer support in both emotional matters and relationships. There is also a physical service with physiotherapeutic care for aches and pains, guidance on relaxation or mindfulness or access to a personal trainer. The nutrition professionals can advise you on your eating habits. Lastly, financial counsellors offer advice on how to reduce energy consumption, improve personal finances or home economics, or provide support in the search for public aid or subsidies. Besides these specialists who provide one-to-one support, there are also sessions, webinars and group training.
This service currently has upwards of 7,500 people registered and more than 2,600 sessions have been held.
Let us take care of you
Suara Cooperativa is not only committed to technological innovation, but also to offering services to the people who work in the organisation. With this goal in mind, the Let us take care of you project was launched, an integrated physiotherapy service designed to provide a response to the physical needs of Suara Cooperativa’s members and employees, especially those whose work involves carrying out more physically demanding tasks.
Physiotherapy is a discipline that uses different physical means and manual techniques to prevent, treat and readapt a wide range of pathologies that affect people.
Our physiotherapy professionals have sound training in anatomy, biomechanics, physiology, human pathology and specific physiotherapy techniques.
This physiotherapy service provides individualised treatment with the goal of improving the physical condition of users. This may involve addressing specific ailments, offering preventive services or providing expert advice. The service is open to everyone, and access is completely free.