BigPicture in Venice: Sharing results and building new European collaboration
BigPicture in Venice: Sharing results and building new European collaboration
In May, the BigPicture project took us to Venice, where we met with representatives of the European Interdisciplinary Council on Ageing (EICA) at Venice International University on San Servolo Island. During the visit, we shared what we have achieved in BigPicture and discussed how the collaboration could continue beyond the project.
From Turku University of Applied Sciences, Susanna Mört and Sini Eloranta participated in the visit together with Evangelos Fradelos from the University of Thessaly and Jekaterina Šteinmiller from Tallinn University of Applied Sciences. We met with EICA representatives Professor Stefania Maggi, Professor Alberto Pilotto and Professor Cornel Sieber and spent two intensive days discussing ageing, gerontological competence and Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA).
BigPicture meets European expertise in ageing
One of the main aims of the visit was to present BigPicture and discuss its results with experts in ageing and multidimensional approaches to older people’s care. The BigPicture presentation was followed by discussions and joint workshops on future European collaboration.
EICA was a particularly interesting organisation for us to meet. It brings together expertise and networks related to ageing and works to translate research knowledge for different professional groups, policymakers and the wider public. EICA also brings strong European expertise in Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA), multidisciplinary care and ageing. For us, this made the discussions particularly valuable, as these themes are at the heart of the work we have been doing in BigPicture.
Our discussions also looked beyond BigPicture. The project has given us valuable experience, knowledge and European connections, and in Venice we started to explore how some of this work could be taken forward in a new European initiative. The focus is on strengthening competence in gerontological nursing and older people’s care and bringing education, research and practice closer together at European level.
For us, the visit was also a reminder that the work done in BigPicture does not end when the project ends. The knowledge developed, the experiences gained and, perhaps most importantly, the European partnerships created during the project can provide a strong basis for something new.
BigPicture still has some way to go before the project ends in March 2027, but one thing is already clear: the collaboration will continue.
Authors
Susanna Mört, Turku University of Applied Science
Sini Eloranta, Turku University of Applied Science