The 2023 EURECO Forum will take place in person at the Renaissance Hotel in Brussels, Belgium, on March 15. This year’s edition will focus on older persons with long-term care needs and persons with disabilities: common challenges and learning opportunities in care and support. The aim of the Forum is to bring research and practice together for more innovative research on inclusive community development.

Our event will discuss the following questions: 

• What are the similarities and challenges between care and support for older persons and persons with disabilities on both individual cases and local service system levels?
• What can they learn from one another? What promising solutions and relevant research questions exist?

The key outcomes we aim to take away from this event include (1) improved connections between both sectors, (2) identifying key items for future research agenda and (3) fostering potential cooperation for future project proposals. 

The forum will welcome representatives of European research institutions working in the fields of disability, community planning and inclusive services, as well as other stakeholders, including representatives of disability service providers and of the European institutions.

Registrations for the event are now closed.

Programme 

Networking Opportunity on the 16th March

As we encourage our participants to make the most out of the networking opportunities stemming from this event, we have booked an open working space/meeting room at Guimard Square (https://www.guimard-square.be/contact.php), near the EASPD Office and the Arts-Loi metro station.

Feel free to use this room on the 16th of March (from 9:30 to 12:30) to start working on the project and research ideas discussed during the Forum.

Accommodation

There are many accommodation options in Brussels and the EASPD team will be happy to support you if you need recommendations of accessible hotels. If you would like to stay at the venue of the conference, you can access here the group rate for the Renaissance Hotel: https://www.marriott.com/events/start.mi?id=1666791878673&key=GRP

Rationale of the forum

European societies are ageing, and with higher life expectancy, impairments and care needs become more likely among people. Older persons with long-term care needs and persons with disabilities encounter a lot of similar challenges and barriers. 

No matter what the causes for impairments are, be it congenital or due to old age, they result in risks of restricted participation and discrimination for the individual. Such an understanding is also covered by the broad concept of disability in the UN CRPD which calls for equal rights of persons with disabilities to participate and to be included in society. Furthermore, both groups often face considerable support needs and depend on affordable, reliable, and high-quality social services.

However, it can be observed that the disability service sector and the long-term care sector for older persons have developed separately with only little or no connection. Each sector has its own conceptual history, service traditions, and specificities regarding values, qualification of staff, and funding. Still, recent developments show that both in conceptual and organizational perspectives, the two sectors have more and more commonalities. Deinstitutionalisation, inclusion, self-determination, participation, community orientation, and similar concepts have become key in both fields.

Service issues are handled in separate ways, through healthcare and social provision systems. Yet, if collaboration and coordination were improved, especially on the local level, these issues might be addressed in a more effective way. 

This EURECO event will provide a forum to discuss the challenges of cooperation between the two sectors on both individual case and local service system levels. It will give room to explore promising solutions and relevant research questions. Thus, the event will encourage reflection on possible European research approaches, with the view of highlighting key items for the research and policy agenda, as well as fostering greater cooperation for research projects.

Registrations

Registrations are now closed.