This vision guided the project from its earliest steps. The project sought to rethink home care services, to reach a greater number of beneficiaries at their homes, by shifting from a reactive to a proactive approach to care and indirectly making services more sustainable.
To build this new approach, PROCAREFUL worked closely with the people who receive and deliver care every day: older adults, home care professionals, managers, and local stakeholders. Through co-design sessions the project explored what people truly need to stay healthy for longer and how services could meaningfully contribute to that goal. These insights led to the decision of involving adults aged 55+, recognising that early engagement offers greater long term benefits and that vulnerability is shaped not only by age but also by social, psychological, and physical factors.
From there, PROCAREFUL moved into creation and experimentation. The consortium developed a new hybrid and proactive care model, combining in-person awareness raising, guidance and support actions with a technological component: a digital platform designed to offer personalised cognitive, physical and social exercises to support daily healthy habits, while also enabling remote monitoring for professionals. A training programme for professionals and an action plan for organisations were also produced, to support the integration of a proactive approach into care. These elements were then tested in five pilot sites across Central Europe. The pilots revealed a truth familiar to many: changing habits is challenging. Yet step by step, participants began to integrate small actions into their everyday lives and what initially raised doubts turned into a source of motivation and routine. As a German participant shared, “at first, the daily challenge was annoying… but now I see how much it helps.”
Beyond technology, the experience highlighted that human connection remains the heart of motivation. Meeting others, talking with a professional and feeling heard and supported proved essential in reinforcing new habits. Across all pilot sites, we observed and increased empowerment among participants. The diversity of contexts involved also demonstrated that the model is scalable across different care systems. Building on this evidence, the project synthesised its experience into a policy strategy, offering guidance and recommendations for regions seeking to introduce a proactive approach into their care systems.
As PROCAREFUL reaches its official conclusion, it offers a concrete attempt to respond to emerging evidence and changing needs. It leaves a shift in perspective that prevention is possible.