iSocial presents in Bilbao the report “Technological innovation and social services”.

Publications News

iSocial presents in Bilbao the report “Technological innovation and social services”.

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On March 20, about 90 people have attended in the auditorium Bilbao Berrikuntza Faktoria (BBF) of the University of Mondragon, in the Basque Country, a public event to present the report “Technological innovation and social services” prepared by the iSocial Foundation.

The event consisted of a welcome by the president of the iSocial Foundation, Montse Cervera; the presentation of the report by the director of the foundation, Toni Codina; a presentation by Ms. Nagore Ipiña, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Education Sciences of Mondragon University, on “The person as the center of digitalization”; a round table on “Incorporation of technology in social services: challenges and difficulties”, by Mr. Sergio Murillo, Deputy of Social Action of Bizkaia, and Mr. Mikel Palazuelos, Head of the Social Care Area of NTT Data; and, finally, a joint conclusion by Ms. Sergio Murillo, Deputy of Social Action of Bizkaia, and Mr. Mikel Palazuelos, Head of the Social Care Area of NTT Data. Sergio Murillo, Deputy of Social Action of Bizkaia, and Mr. Mikel Palazuelos, Head of the Social Care Area of NTT Data; and, finally, a joint conclusion by Ms. Adriana Martínez, director of APTAS (Association for the Promotion of Social Technology), and Ms. Lucía Merino, coordinator of the Basque Observatory of the Third Social Sector.

At the end of the event, refreshments were served and all attendees received a bookmark that included a QR code to download the report “Technological Innovation and Social Services”.

Coinciding with the event, the iSocial Foundation also launched a language version of its website in Basque, at the isocial.eus domain.

Actualitat

iSocial presents in Bilbao the report “Technological innovation and social services”.

iSocial presents in Bilbao the report “Technological innovation and social services”.

On March 20, nearly 90 people took part in the event at the Bilbao Berrikuntza Faktoria (BBF) auditorium of Mondragon University.
Retrieve the Catalunya Ràdio PodCast about iSocial

Retrieve the Catalunya Ràdio PodCast about iSocial

On February 6, we explained iSocial’s current projects in the POPAP program.
Open Day of the Welcome Project in Barcelona

Open Day of the Welcome Project in Barcelona

iSocial and the other 14 project partners presented the new tools developed for the reception and integration of migrants and refugees.
Innovació tecnològica i serveis socials

iSocial presents the report “Technological innovation and social services”

In a public event held on 22.11.2022 at the NTT Data auditorium in Barcelona.

Innovative tools for people with communication difficulties

Campus InnoBreaks

Innovative tools for people with communication difficulties

Talking Mats (United Kingdom) and Voiceitt (Israel).

Held on March 14th, 2023, from 15:00 p.m. to 16:30 p.m.

Simultaneous translation from Catalan and Spanish into English was provided.

Speech and expression difficulties are common in people with disabilities, autism, brain injuries or dementia, and this often prevents them from expressing their opinions, feelings and aspirations in the educational stage, in a medical visit, in court or in many other life situations. At the same time, it makes it difficult for them to hold a conversation with other people or with automatic voice recognition systems (xatbots, assistants, robots…).


In recent years, solutions have been developed in other countries that provide innovative solutions to overcome these difficulties with the support of technology and visual communication tools. These solutions are being used by more and more people, from more countries and from more and more different linguistic backgrounds. In this Innobreak we will present two of them, one from the United Kingdom and the other from Israel:

  • Talking Mats, a visual communication tool for people with communication difficulties (disability, autism, brain damage, dementia…). It is a tool for thinking, expression and comprehension support because it allows to process concepts through the breakdown of information, giving time to respond and reducing memory requirements. In addition, the quality of the information is improved by giving control to the respondent and providing a structured framework for open-ended questions. The tool is very useful in areas such as education, social health and justice. Since the project was launched in 2011, the tool has been used by more than 14,000 people in 40 countries.
  • Voiceitt, a voice assistant for people with speech impairments that allows them to use the intelligent voice assistants on the market: Alexa (Amazon), Sirius (Apple), Google Assistant (Google), Bixby (Samsung), etc. It is an accessibility application that learns the particularities of the atypical speech of these people and translates it to conventional voice assistants, making it possible for them to use these assistants for their conversations and daily routines like the rest of citizens. The app analyzes the voice data, cadence, breathing, pauses, etc. of each person and through automatic learning learns and models the speech patterns to understand what is being said.


Speakers:

  • Margo Mackay, Talking Mats (United Kingdom)
  • Rachel Levy, Voiceitt (Israel)

With the support of:

Generalitat de Catalunya Departament de Drets Socials

Innobreaks

New digital tools at the service of people who care

New digital tools at the service of people who care

OKencasa (Basque Country) and myCarenet (Catalonia). Tuesday, July 11, 2023, from 9h00 to 10h30. Online. Open registrations.
Guides and simulators for economically vulnerable populations

Guides and simulators for economically vulnerable populations

Soliguide (France) and Les meves ajudes (Spain). Tuesday, May 9, 2023, from 9h00 to 10h30. Online. Registration open.
Innovative tools for people with communication difficulties

Innovative tools for people with communication difficulties

Talking Mats (United Kingdom) and Voiceitt (Israel). Online. Held on 14/03/2023.
Innovative therapeutic solutions for people with dementia

Innovative therapeutic solutions for people with dementia

Innovative therapeutic solutions for people with dementia. Therapeutic Gardens Mati 1909 (Italy) and MK360 Immersive Technology (Catalonia). Held on 17/01/2023

iSocial presents the report “Technological innovation and social services”

Publications News

iSocial presents the report “Technological innovation and social services”

24 NOVEMBER 2022

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At a public event held on 22.11.2022 at the NTT Data auditorium in Barcelona.

The social services system cannot ignore the use of technology and has to adapt the services it provides to the digital environment in which we live.

The iSocial Foundation presented yesterday the report on Technological Innovation and Social Services during an event in the auditorium of the company NTT Data, in Barcelona.

The event was opened by Ms. Montse Cervera, president of the iSocial Foundation, followed by the presentation of the report by Mr. Toni Codina, director of the Foundation.

Mr. Miquel Estapé, Director of Strategy and Innovation of the Administració Oberta de Catalunya (AOC), presented the opportunities, risks and challenges of technological innovation for the social services sector, establishing people as the central axis and defending that technology is a means and not an end. He also stressed the importance of data and its management for the proper functioning of social service organizations, both public and third sector.

Ms. Mariola Dinarès led the entire day, also moderating the debate that took place under the title “Learning from the daring”. In addition to Mr. Estapé, Mr. Albert Giralt, CEO of the company Avinent, and Mr. Mikel Palazuelos, head of Health & Social Care at NTT Data, also participated in the debate. The event was closed by Mr. Lluís Torrens, Secretary of Social Affairs and Families of the Department of Social Rights of the Generalitat de Catalunya.

The report presented by iSocial during the conference reviews the different emerging fields of technological innovation in social services: remote communication and accompaniment, empowerment and self-management, improvement of personal autonomy and organizational intelligence.

Through a proposal of next steps to follow, the iSocial Foundation raises 20 proposals aimed at Catalan and Spanish organizations in the social services sector, to move forward and with the aim of focusing the technological environment of social services in order not to ignore the use and efficiency that involve the use of technology. Among these 20 proposals, the iSocial Foundation claims that administrations must redefine the portfolios of social services to incorporate the changes that the use of digital tools entails.

Below you can see a selection of photographs of the presentation of the report in Barcelona.


iSocial has moved to a new headquarters in District 22@ of Barcelona

Publications News

iSocial has moved to a new headquarters in District 22@ of Barcelona

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The new office is at 105 Sancho de Ávila Street, in the epicenter of innovation in the city, a few meters from the Glòries Tower, the Design Museum or the MediaTIC Building.

On January 9, 2023, the iSocial Foundation moved to new offices in District 22@ of Barcelona, the epicenter of innovation in the city, specifically at number 105 Sancho de Ávila Street, a few meters from the Glòries Tower, the Design Museum or the MediaTIC Building. The new headquarters occupies several work spaces in the Monday Arroba building, which also houses numerous companies linked to the world of innovation and which at the same time offers a strongly international and multicultural work environment.

To get to the new headquarters by public transport, the easiest way is to do so via the Glòries stop on the L1 Metro, the T5 and T6 Tram lines, or the El Clot-Aragó station on the trains Suburbs.

The iSocial Foundation also launches a new direct phone number in these offices: +34 935 473 973

With this change, iSocial has left the headquarters of the ATRA Group at 239 Gran de Gràcia Street in Barcelona. The ATRA Group is one of the third sector NGO that founded iSocial and during the last few years had selflessly hosted the iSocial professional team.

Actualitat

iSocial presents in Bilbao the report “Technological innovation and social services”.

iSocial presents in Bilbao the report “Technological innovation and social services”.

On March 20, nearly 90 people took part in the event at the Bilbao Berrikuntza Faktoria (BBF) auditorium of Mondragon University.
Retrieve the Catalunya Ràdio PodCast about iSocial

Retrieve the Catalunya Ràdio PodCast about iSocial

On February 6, we explained iSocial’s current projects in the POPAP program.
Open Day of the Welcome Project in Barcelona

Open Day of the Welcome Project in Barcelona

iSocial and the other 14 project partners presented the new tools developed for the reception and integration of migrants and refugees.
Innovació tecnològica i serveis socials

iSocial presents the report “Technological innovation and social services”

In a public event held on 22.11.2022 at the NTT Data auditorium in Barcelona.

Desinstitucionalización y vida en comunidad de las personas con discapacidad

Publications Articles

Desinstitucionalización y vida en comunidad de las personas con discapacidad

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Una nueva guía de las Naciones Unidas de septiembre de 2022 recoge directrices y recomendaciones precisas para la desinstitucionalización de las personas con discapacidad, para reformar el sector en forma de organizaciones comunitarias, y para avanzar en el derecho de vivir de manera autónoma y con libertad para tomar las propias decisiones.

Las Naciones Unidas han emitido en septiembre de 2022 un nuevo documento, Guidelines on deinstitutionalization, including in emergencies (CRPD/C/27/3), que en el marco de la Convención sobre los Derechos de las Personas con Discapacidad establece un conjunto de nuevas pautas para avanzar en los procesos de desinstitucionalización de las personas con discapacidad.

Los principios que se declaran en el documento son contundentes:

  • La institucionalización contradice el derecho de las personas con discapacidad a ser incluidas en la comunidad.
  • Hay que abolir todas las formas de institucionalización y dejar de invertir en instituciones. Las instituciones nunca tienen que ser consideradas como una forma de protección de las personas con discapacidades ni como una libre elección.
  • No existe ninguna justificación para perpetuar la institucionalización de las personas.

Elementos clave de la desinstitucionalización

El documento recoge y explica los elementos y principios centrales en torno a los procesos de desinstitucionalización como, por ejemplo, qué se entiende por institucionalización y por qué es problemática.

Existen varios rasgos definitorios para describir qué es una institución:

  • Obligatoriedad de compartir asistencia con otras personas sin ninguna libertad de elección sobre quien proporciona esta asistencia.
  • Aislamiento y segregación de la vida independiente en la comunidad.
  • Carencia de control sobre las decisiones del día a día.
  • Carencia de elección de las personas con quienes se convive.
  • Rigidez de las rutinas sin consideración de la voluntad y preferencia personal.
  • Realización de actividades idénticas para un grupo de individuos, en un mismo espacio, bajo una determinada autoridad.
  • Aproximación paternalista de los servicios que se proporcionan y de la supervisión de las condiciones de vida de los individuos.
  • Convivencia con un número desproporcionado de personas en un mismo entorno.

El documento señala que la institucionalización es la detención de personas basada en alguna discapacidad, ya sea en presencia otros factores o no, bajo la premisa de ofrecer “curas” o “tratamiento”. Esta detención acostumbra a transcurrir en instituciones como por ejemplo centros de asistencia social, hospitales psiquiátricos, áreas de seguridad para personas con demencia, centros de rehabilitación, hogares de protección infantil y otros muchos.

Guía para los procesos de desinstitucionalización

Debido a estas condiciones, que contradicen los derechos fundamentales de las personas, las Naciones Unidas comunican que todas las instituciones, públicas y privadas, tienen que pasar por una reforma que las corrija o elimine. Aun así, la reforma o la eliminación de uno o más elementos institucionales no es suficiente para definirse como “organización comunitaria”, sino que las modificaciones tienen que ser integrales.

La desinstitucionalización comprende una serie de procesos interconectados enfocados a restablecer la autonomía, la libertad de elección y el control de las personas sobre su vida, incluido su derecho a decidir cómo, dónde y con quién quieren vivir. Estos procesos deberían estar dirigidos por las propias personas con discapacidades, para garantizar que sus necesidades y voluntades tengan prioridad y que los cambios se ajusten a sus decisiones de la mejor manera posible. Uno de los elementos clave de la vida independiente y con inclusión en la comunidad es garantizar que las personas con discapacidad reciban apoyo, basado en sus elecciones, y que tengan acceso a las actividades diarias y a la participación en sociedad.

Servicios de apoyo a las personas con discapacidad

Según el documento de las Naciones Unidas, los servicios de apoyo para las personas con discapacidades se tienen que desarrollar de acuerdo con el modelo de derechos humanos, respetando las preferencias de las personas con discapacidades y garantizando su plena participación en la red de apoyo, si la persona lo desea.

Estos servicios de apoyo a las personas con discapacidades tienen que estar vinculados a los servicios existentes y en las redes comunitarias, de forma que no fomenten la segregación y el aislamiento de las personas. Se recomienda en los Estados que inviertan en la creación y desarrollo de una amplia gama de servicios flexibles de apoyo que respondan a las necesidades diversas individuales, respetado sus elecciones y contando con su participación en el diseño de formas de apoyo. Además, hace falta que los gobiernos garanticen que la decisión de retorno al hogar familiar después de la institucionalización no descalifique a la persona para vivir de manera independiente si lo desea.

Preparaciones para abandonar una institución

Según la guía de Naciones Unidas, los procesos de desinstitucionalización tienen que revertir la práctica injusta de la institucionalización. Todas las personas tienen derecho a iniciarlo cuando lo deseen y a recibir asistencia para completar los requerimientos.

El documento indica las siguientes directrices para los procesos de desinstitucionalización:

  • Respetar el derecho de la persona a tomar decisiones en todos los aspectos de dejar una institución, ofreciéndole apoyo si lo necesita.
  • Dar tiempo y oportunidades suficientes para prepararse física y emocionalmente para la vida en comunidad. Las administraciones deberían garantizar que las personas tengan un plan individualizado según sus preferencias al dejar la institución.
  • Respetar a las personas institucionalizadas como supervivientes a quienes se les debe una compensación, y proporcionarles información y oportunidades para participar plenamente en el plan y la implementación de la desinstitucionalización.
  • Ofrecer a las personas un margen amplio de experiencias en la comunidad como preparación para dejar la institución; ayudarlas a ganar experiencia, fortaleza y habilidades sociales y cotidianas y a vencer los miedos que puedan tener de la vida independiente.
  • Proporcionar a las personas información sobre las opciones de vivienda, transporte y ocupación, además de rentas individualizadas y otras medidas necesarias para garantizar su calidad de vida.

Referencia

[1] Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Guidelines on deinstitutionalization, including in emergencies (CRPD/C/27/3).  United Nations. Disponible en: https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/treatybodyexternal/Download.aspx?symbolno=CRPD/C/5  [10/11/2022]

Articles

Desinstitucionalización y vida en comunidad de las personas con discapacidad

Desinstitucionalización y vida en comunidad de las personas con discapacidad

Una nueva guía de las Naciones Unidas indica directrices precisas para la desinstitucionalización de las personas con discapacidad.
MetroSolutions

The challenge of the digital transformation of social services for inclusive and equitable metropolises

Digitization opens up new opportunities for people’s well-being, while at the same time generating new risks of inequality. (Toni Codina, International Congress of Metropolitan Solutions, September 2022)
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Recursos innovadores para personas refugiadas e inmigradas

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Els serveis socials davant les noves vulnerabilitats causades per la digitalització

Los servicios sociales frente a las nuevas vulnerabilidades causadas por la digitalización: el e-social work

E-social work, un nuevo campo de intervención para dar respuesta a unas nuevas vulnerabilidades que agravan muchas situaciones atendidas por los servicios sociales (iSocial Foundation, 2020 May)

Innovative therapeutic solutions for people with dementia

Campus InnoBreaks

Innovative therapeutic solutions for people with dementia

Therapeutic Gardens Mati 1909 (Italy) and MK360 Immersive Technology (Catalonia)

Held on January 17th, 2023, from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m.

Simultaneous translation from English to Catalan and Spanish was provided.

Dementia is a disease that affects many old people. Memory loss and progressive deterioration of cognitive status are a difficult situation to manage, both for the person affected and for the people around them. Currently, treatments aim to slow the progression of the disease, while support for caregivers, cognitive stimulation and therapeutic work allow the optimization of physical health and activity in order to live dementia with the best possible quality of life.


Some innovative therapeutic solutions that have emerged in recent years are proving very effective in achieving cognitive stimulation and improving the well-being of people with dementia. In this Innobreak we will present two of them, one from Italy and the other from Catalonia.

  • Mati4care therapeutic gardens, designed according to the needs of people with dementia. They follow a model of non-invasive care, complementary to medical treatments. They have an interdisciplinary team and a natural space planned to stimulate the senses. The model has spread throughout Italy, with gardens not only specialized in dementia, but also for people with Down syndrome, for autism or for depressive disorders.
  • MK360 immersive technology, which makes it possible to offer virtual reality group experiences that recreate relaxing or stimulating spaces, with images and music surrounding users without the need for glasses or headphones. The treatments have shown to have positive effects on the behaviour and well-being of elderly people in numerous social and healthcare organizations in several European countries and other continents where they are being used.


Speakers:

  • Andrea Mati, Mati4care Therapeutic Gardens (Mati1909, Tuscany-Italy).
  • Robert Cornfield, MK360 immersive technology (Broomx, Catalonia-Spain).

With the support of:

Generalitat de Catalunya Departament de Drets Socials

Innobreaks

New digital tools at the service of people who care

New digital tools at the service of people who care

OKencasa (Basque Country) and myCarenet (Catalonia). Tuesday, July 11, 2023, from 9h00 to 10h30. Online. Open registrations.
Guides and simulators for economically vulnerable populations

Guides and simulators for economically vulnerable populations

Soliguide (France) and Les meves ajudes (Spain). Tuesday, May 9, 2023, from 9h00 to 10h30. Online. Registration open.
Innovative tools for people with communication difficulties

Innovative tools for people with communication difficulties

Talking Mats (United Kingdom) and Voiceitt (Israel). Online. Held on 14/03/2023.
Innovative therapeutic solutions for people with dementia

Innovative therapeutic solutions for people with dementia

Innovative therapeutic solutions for people with dementia. Therapeutic Gardens Mati 1909 (Italy) and MK360 Immersive Technology (Catalonia). Held on 17/01/2023

Biel Digital Glasses, 2022 Award for social integration through ICTs

Publications News

Biel Digital Glasses, 2022 Award for social integration through ICTs

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Biel Digital Glasses has been awarded with the 2022 Prize for social integration through ICT, which annually convene the GrausTIC association and the iSocial Foundation, as part of the ICT Diada in Catalonia.

This year the Diada was held on November 10 in the auditorium of the Telefonica Tower in Barcelona, and was dedicated to “Metaverse and new realities”. Toni Codina, director of the iSocial Foundation, has delivered the award to Jaume Puig, promoter and CEO of the Catalan start-up Biel Digital Glasses.

Biel Digital Glasses are glasses that use a combination of new technologies such as 3D vision, artificial intelligence and augmented reality to adapt reality to the visual capacity of people with low vision. In addition to improving images, they identify obstacles and warn of possible dangers, such as steps and traffic lights. In this way, these glasses allow these people to reduce their social isolation and improve their mobility and personal autonomy.

The project arose in 2017 to respond to the needs of Biel, a child from Barcelona who suffers from low vision. Seeing that there was no conventional treatment for this disability, his parents (an engineer and a medical doctor) decided to be the ones to develop a solution, both for Biel and for all those other people who suffer from low vision. With this goal in mind, they created a company to design, develop and market this technological solution.

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Actualitat

iSocial presents in Bilbao the report “Technological innovation and social services”.

iSocial presents in Bilbao the report “Technological innovation and social services”.

On March 20, nearly 90 people took part in the event at the Bilbao Berrikuntza Faktoria (BBF) auditorium of Mondragon University.
Retrieve the Catalunya Ràdio PodCast about iSocial

Retrieve the Catalunya Ràdio PodCast about iSocial

On February 6, we explained iSocial’s current projects in the POPAP program.
Open Day of the Welcome Project in Barcelona

Open Day of the Welcome Project in Barcelona

iSocial and the other 14 project partners presented the new tools developed for the reception and integration of migrants and refugees.
Innovació tecnològica i serveis socials

iSocial presents the report “Technological innovation and social services”

In a public event held on 22.11.2022 at the NTT Data auditorium in Barcelona.

Community work platforms and activation of neighborhood cooperation.

Campus InnoBreaks

Community work platforms and activation of neighborhood cooperation.

HOPLR (Belgium) and A-Porta (Catalonia).

Held on November 29th, 2022, from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m.

There was translation from English to Catalan and Spanish.

The growing individualism and fragmentation of social relations, as well as the speed of daily life, lead to a lack of knowledge of one’s own environment and of the people who live in it. The social isolation typical of advanced societies of the 21st century aggravates situations of exclusion, loneliness and discomfort, and represents a social challenge of the first magnitude for social services.

The community work of social services, mutual support and social participation make it possible to pool resources, tools and needs, improving the quality of life of neighborhoods and the people who live in them.

There are innovative platforms and programs that are demonstrating a great capacity to activate cooperative social relations among community members, with the aim of improving daily well-being, generating neighbourhood empowerment and fostering social inclusion.

In this Innobreak we present 2 innovative experiences that stand out in this field, from Belgium and Catalonia.

  • HOPLR, it is a social network focused on social interaction between neighbours in the same area. The digital platform works in such a way that people using the application can share their needs or carry out tasks requested by other neighbours. It is a free tool, based on each person’s address, that promotes care, participation and direct neighbourhood communication, thanks to which collective activities or events can be created. It has been in operation since 2014, it works in more than 100 cities, and more than half a million people interact with their environment thanks to the application.
  • A-Porta, it is a neighbourhood empowerment program of CONFAVC based on which neighbours called “Pica-Puertas” make visits to other people in the neighbourhoods to support, offer accompaniment and resources according to the needs. The Pica-Puertas are trained in topics such as access to social rights, job search, energy vulnerability or accompaniment of elderly people in order to respond to these needs thanks to the community and neighbourhood fabric. The project has been implemented in several disadvantaged neighbourhoods in the cities of Barcelona and Tarragona, and it works thanks to the personalized knowledge of the needs of the neighbourhood and the proximity to the citizens.

Speakers:

  • Jennick  Scheerlinck, Hoplr (Belgium).
  • Alba Gómez, A-Porta (Catalonia)  

With the support of:

Generalitat de Catalunya Departament de Drets Socials

Innobreaks

New digital tools at the service of people who care

New digital tools at the service of people who care

OKencasa (Basque Country) and myCarenet (Catalonia). Tuesday, July 11, 2023, from 9h00 to 10h30. Online. Open registrations.
Guides and simulators for economically vulnerable populations

Guides and simulators for economically vulnerable populations

Soliguide (France) and Les meves ajudes (Spain). Tuesday, May 9, 2023, from 9h00 to 10h30. Online. Registration open.
Innovative tools for people with communication difficulties

Innovative tools for people with communication difficulties

Talking Mats (United Kingdom) and Voiceitt (Israel). Online. Held on 14/03/2023.
Innovative therapeutic solutions for people with dementia

Innovative therapeutic solutions for people with dementia

Innovative therapeutic solutions for people with dementia. Therapeutic Gardens Mati 1909 (Italy) and MK360 Immersive Technology (Catalonia). Held on 17/01/2023

iSocial and nine other institutions promote BALL, the first Living Lab focused on ageing

Publications News

iSocial and nine other institutions promote BALL, the first Living Lab focused on ageing

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The Barcelona Aging coLLaboratory (BALL) aims to create innovative solutions, involving end-users, to improve the quality of life and health and social care of older people. The first project of the BALL, presented today in the Pere Virgili Sanitari Park, is a humanized robot that will help patients who cannot feed themselves, offering them a solution adapted to their needs.

Barcelona, September 26th, 2022.- Aging with the highest quality of life and the best health and social care. This is the main objective of the Barcelona Aging coLLaboratory (BALL), the first Living Lab focused on providing innovative solutions for the elderly that are launched in Catalonia and that has been driven by a wide representation of the estates of civil society.


Today there has been a presentation to the media, in the Pere Virgili Sanitari Park, of the physical headquarters of the DANCE and of its first project: a humanized robot that will help those who cannot feed themselves. This robot is co-creating with end-users, who are instrumental in knowing what they need and thus being able to offer them a solution that fits their characteristics.

In addition to providing patients with a custom tool and greater autonomy, the robot will allow to automate one of the most complex tasks of hospital and residential care logistics, thereby reducing the overload of healthcare personnel, optimising the time and quality of service.

The DANCE, a platform of innovation around aging

The ageing of the Catalan population continues to grow at an accelerated rate and it is estimated that by 2050 one in three people will be over 65. Likewise, according to data from the Institute of Statistics of Catalonia, if the current care model does not change, the dependency rate of the elderly will also increase, from 28.9 % in 2021 to 44.3 % in 2040.

The Living Lab has been driven by ten renowned entities that represent the main areas of Catalan society: Health (Parc Sanitari Pere Virgili and Vall d’Hebron Research Institute), robotics (Institute of Robotics and Industrial Informatics), university (Blanquerna – Universitat Ramon Llull and Universitat Oberta de Catalunya), social (Fundación iSocial), private company (Group Efebé, Qida and UniversalDoctor) and associations of the elderly (Fatec – Federation of Associations of the Great People of Catalonia).

This project operates under the innovation model known as the quadruple helix, where different entities and members of a community (city, business, knowledge centers and administration) join together to build together solutions that are capable of promoting the socio-economic growth of the territory.

“The DANCE is a space or methodology of co-creation involving older people, from the outset, in the design, development, implementation and evaluation of products and services intended to promote their autonomy, integrate them into the community and reduce dependencies and chronicities”, explained by Dr. Marco Inzitari, director of Integrated Atention and Research of the Sanitari Park Pere Virgili and professor of the UOC.

Dr. Inzitari, who is one of the project’s ideologists and promoters, states that “at a time when life expectancy is increasing more and more, but not quality, the ultimate goal of the Living Lab is to put people in the centre and to take control of their health and their life”.

A robot that improves the relational autonomy of patients during meals

The first robot prototype to be presented today has been adapted to software and hardware level to assist people with difficulties in feeding themselves. Designed by professionals from the Institute of Robotics and Industrial Computer Science and the Pere and Virgili Sanitari Park, it has involved all the institutions signed by the Living Lab collaboration agreement. In February, participatory sessions were held with professionals and patients from the Pere Virgili Sanitari Park, where they set out the needs to which they believed the robot should respond to make it more human. His contributions served to build this prototype.

Soon, patients in the Sanitari Park with different difficulties preventing them from eating autonomously will participate in the first pilot test of this humanized robot prototype that is done in a real environment, the hospital, which is where the robot will initially apply.

In this test phase, a group of professionals will conduct interviews with patients to check their degree of satisfaction, as well as closely observe nonverbal reactions during the test. Your responses will be very much taken into account in the final development of the project. Now, the robot is very simple, but in the future, among other functions, it will be able to recognize the patient’s facial gestures and even verbally interact with them.

According to its creators, the robot must contribute to improving the relational autonomy of patients during meals, providing greater choice (in rhythm, type and amount of food), a better image of oneself (increasing self-confidence during eating time), and a larger margin in the dialogic sphere (favoring forms of negotiation about how and what is eaten). Another advantage that the use of the robot will have is that care professionals will be able to obtain much more data concerning the patient’s current nutritional state, which will allow health care to be more personalised, adapting it to each person’s needs and characteristics.

It should also be borne in mind that the administration of meals generates a high-pressure environment because of the burden of dependency on older people, and even more so at such a sensitive time as a result of the increase in the number of people in hospital with a higher degree of dependency and the shortage of professionals in the centres. Our goal with the robot is to be able to dispense more careful and personalized treatment to patients, and reduce the stress of health personnel,” said director of Integrated care and Research at the Pere Virgili Sanitari Park. In addition, it should be borne in mind that the project’s goal is for the robot to be a support rather than a substitute for care personnel, so the robot will never be left alone with the patient.


Josep Carné, president of the Federation of Associations of the Great People of Catalonia, a non-profit entity, made up of volunteers and grouping the associations of the elderly of our country, explains that “although the idea of a robot that feeds the elderly initially pushed us back, we cannot turn our backs on technological advances and more, if they are intended to be a help”. Also, Carné considers that the fact that users play a key role in defining the characteristics that the robot must have is very positive.

The physical seat of the DANCE: a House of Thought

Living Lab is located in the same area of the Pere Virgili Sanitari Park and is where several participatory dynamics will be performed. Thus, from brainstorming meetings with all ageing-related actors (patient, professionals, research institutions, public administration, private companies, etc.) challenges will be identified in this area. Sessions will also be held to find innovative solutions to these participatory challenges and dynamics in order to develop them with the end

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Actualitat

iSocial presents in Bilbao the report “Technological innovation and social services”.

iSocial presents in Bilbao the report “Technological innovation and social services”.

On March 20, nearly 90 people took part in the event at the Bilbao Berrikuntza Faktoria (BBF) auditorium of Mondragon University.
Retrieve the Catalunya Ràdio PodCast about iSocial

Retrieve the Catalunya Ràdio PodCast about iSocial

On February 6, we explained iSocial’s current projects in the POPAP program.
Open Day of the Welcome Project in Barcelona

Open Day of the Welcome Project in Barcelona

iSocial and the other 14 project partners presented the new tools developed for the reception and integration of migrants and refugees.
Innovació tecnològica i serveis socials

iSocial presents the report “Technological innovation and social services”

In a public event held on 22.11.2022 at the NTT Data auditorium in Barcelona.

Presentation in Barcelona of the report “Technological innovation and social services”.

Campus Conferences and public events

Presentation in Barcelona of the report “Technological innovation and social services”.

Innovació tecnològica i serveis socials

On the occasion of the presentation of the 1st Report on innovation trends in social services, prepared by the iSocial Foundation, the 22nd Novembre 2022 we held a a public event in which, in addition to presenting the report, the 2 we had interventions of recognized experts, the vision of companies that stand out for their innovative capacity and the participation of the Secretary of Social Affairs and Families of the Department of Social Rights of the Generalitat de Catalunya, that will close the event.

Program of the event held:


18h00 – Welcome:

  • Ms. Montse Cervera, president of the iSocial Foundation.

18h10 – Presentation of the report “Technological innovation and social services”:

  • Mr. Toni Codina, director of the iSocial Foundation

18h30 – How to build smarter social services organizations today:

  • Mr. Miquel Estapé, Director of Strategy and Innovation of the Open Administration of Catalonia (AOC)

18h50 – Learning from the bold:

  • Mr. Albert Giralt, General Manager of Avinent company
  • Mr. Mikel Palazuelos, Responsable Social Care Area of NTT Data

19h30 – Conclusion:

  • Mr. Lluís Torrens, Secretary of Social Affairs and Families of the Department of Social Rights of the Generalitat de Catalunya.

Organised by:

With the support of:

In collaboration with:

Conferències i debats

Acte de presentació de l'informe «Innovació tecnològica i serveis socials»

Presentation in Bilbao of the report “Technological innovation and social services”

Bilbao Berrikuntza Faktoria – BBF of Universidad Mondragón. (Held on 20/03(203).
Innovació tecnològica i serveis socials

Presentation in Barcelona of the report “Technological innovation and social services”.

NTT Data Auditorium: Avinguda Nova Icària, 221. Barcelona (Held on 22/11/2022)
Conference “Social Services at a crossroads: strengths and challenges in the post-Covid stage”

Conference “Social Services at a crossroads: strengths and challenges in the post-Covid stage”

Emi Vicente, President of the General Council of Social Work (held on 29/09/2021)
The challenge of creating value and positivity in organizations in turbulent times

The challenge of creating value and positivity in organizations in turbulent times

Xavier Marcet, International innovation consultant (held on 15/12/2020)