We can learn the most from proven, good practices also in the field of long-term care! We are happy to receive and even happier to share the good practices of different countries. Send us as many as possible!
Let’s look at good examples:
#1
The Italian “MAPPET” project, which was recently completed in the municipalities of Ancona and Falconara Marittima, is a powerful example of community-based care that supports active ageing. It supports independence, and above all places the person at the centre. Led by COOSS Marche and in cooperation with local partners, MAPPET developed an integrated and personalised support model for older adults, which combines social services, healthcare, and community resources — starting from people’s own needs, preferences, and life choices.
How did it work?
The project offered a wide range of activities and services tailored to individual needs, including:
Cognitive screenings and personalised care plans.
Digital tools and tablets for home-based cognitive training and rehabilitation.
Specialist support (psychologists, physiotherapists, nutritionists), also at home.
Creative and community activities such as art therapy, music sessions, and memory training workshops.
Community initiatives to reduce isolation and strengthen social connections.
Support and training for family members and caregivers.
These actions resulted in a 360° care model, where technology, locally available services, and community participation are not ends in themselves, but tools to help people express their needs and actively shape their own care pathways.
Who is it for?
For people aged 65+ and their families, with the aim of preventing cognitive decline, supporting independence, and strengthening their role as active shapers of their own wellbeing.
Why is it a good practice?
Because it brings a shift in perspective: care is no longer something that is “provided” to people, but something that is built around their voice, choices, and self-determination.
MAPPET shows that when people are supported in expressing what they want and need, services become more meaningful, more effective, and more respectful of dignity.
This approach is closely aligned with the goals of FairCare, which supports inclusion, empowerment, and the right of vulnerable people to shape their own care and life paths.
Watch the final project video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKn0LxWhq7M
#2
Best Practice from Germany: Neighbourhood Assistance
In Germany people with a care level who receive care in their own home have the opportunity to use a certain amount (up to €131 per month) for everyday support services. This can be support from neighbourhood helpers, for example. The support services include accompanying individuals to medical appointments, public authorities, and walks. Assistance is also provided with shopping, household tasks, and outdoor domestic work such as gardening. In addition, support may involve helping with communication, for example by reading aloud or assisting with filling out forms. The services further include encouragement and support in leisure activities and maintaining social contacts, carrying out light physical exercises such as gymnastics, and memory training to support the management of everyday social activities. The helpers receive a so-called expense allowance of a maximum of 10 euros per hour.
Neighbourhood assistance supports people in need of care and their relatives with low-threshold everyday tasks. It provides support for caregivers while at the same time enabling people in need of care to organise their daily lives more self-determinedly (this applies in particular to people without family support).
In addition, the service may help people remain in their own homes for longer and avoid having to move into a nursing home.