A European project focused on improving care for older adults is now moving from research into action, with new efforts aimed at making long-term care systems more person-centred, connected and easier to navigate.
The BUILD Project is bringing together researchers, policymakers, caregivers and older adults to help redesign how long-term care works across Europe, particularly for elderly people with complex health and support needs.
Rather than only studying problems within the care system, the project is now focused on building practical solutions that could improve daily life for older adults and the people who care for them.
One of the project’s latest initiatives involves scenario workshops where older adults and informal caregivers are invited to share their views on how technology could improve care services. Participants are presented with realistic care situations based on existing technologies and are asked what they like, dislike and would change.
The goal is not to imagine a futuristic system, but to help shape care systems that could work better right now.
The project is also developing policy recommendations to help governments and healthcare systems create more integrated care structures. This includes improving coordination between healthcare providers, caregivers and community support systems.
In the coming months, BUILD will host co-design workshops in five countries to further refine these recommendations with direct stakeholder input.
The project also plans to create a practical framework and toolbox that policymakers and organisations can use to design more inclusive and collaborative care systems. These resources will eventually be made publicly available.
Researchers involved in the project will meet in Vienna in June 2026 to continue developing the BUILD framework ahead of the project’s final conference in early 2027.
The conference is expected to bring together policymakers, researchers, care professionals and stakeholders from across Europe to discuss the future of integrated long-term care systems.
More information is available on the BUILD Project website.
