Project "Alternative" for the care of elderly and/or disabled people. Erasmus+

This project, funded by the European Union’s Erasmus+ Program, aims to improve the training and skills of caregivers without prior professional qualifications in this field. It primarily targets family caregivers and foster families of elderly people and/or those with disabilities.

Its goal is to enhance the quality of care for people in situations of dependency, based on a standard European training model for caregivers within the family environment. It is understood that this care within a family setting is an alternative to be strengthened as opposed to the increasing institutionalization of dependent elderly in facilities such as nursing homes or day centers.

Seven social entities from four European countries participate in the project. It was promoted and is coordinated from France by the CEDIS (Comité Européen pour le Développement de l’Intégration Sociale) and in collaboration with: ADES Formation, France; CEIS (Centro di Solidarietà di Reggio Emilia Onlus) and KOINÉ (Koinè Società Cooperativa Sociale) from Italy; AVIQ (Agence pour une Vie de Qualité) and SUSA (Service Universitaire Spécialisé pour personnes avec Autisme) from Belgium; and FSC from Spain.

The project starts by understanding the situation in the participating countries, and subsequently, a common reference framework is defined regarding the “professional” or “paraprofessional” functions that caregivers should perform. In successive steps, it is determined what competencies and skills they need to perform these functions and, finally, what training should be offered to develop these competencies, attitudes, and skills.

This has led to the definition of a European training plan for caregivers, and a pilot phase for validating the training has been organized by forming groups of family caregivers in the respective participating countries.

For the implementation of the project, the FSC collaborates with numerous institutions and organizations, among which we highlight the Generalitat de Catalunya (Program for non-professional caregivers), the Pere Tarrés Foundation, the Red Cross, and the Alzheimer Catalonia Foundation.