Open data to promote healthy ageing

Data on older people can play a crucial role in promoting healthy ageing, assisting the development and maintenance of the physical and mental capacities that enable well-being in old age. This open data can be used for the development of policies to better respond to the needs of older people, such as the promotion of home care services or the creation of more accessible and safer urban spaces. They can also be used by researchers to analyse patterns and trends in your health, or by companies and developers devising solutions to improve your quality of life.  Also, such open data enables older people and their families to access relevant information about their health and well-being, empowering them to make informed choices and actively participate in their care. And these are just a few examples of possible uses!

In this article, we are going to explain two projects, linked to the Barcelona Open Data Initiative, which seek to promote the provision of data on the elderly to the public, with the aim of promoting its reuse and achieving benefits such as those mentioned above.

Ranking 50 datasets on healthy ageing

A few months ago, the Barcelona Open Data Initiative, with the support of the Diputació de Barcelona, launched a call through their social networks to identify the fifty best datasets on wellbeing and healthy ageing of older people. Through this collaborative action, to which various users have contributed, a ranking has been drawn up and is now available.

Here are some examples of datasets and the thematic categories to which they belong. All of them are suitable for re-use and offer information of great social value.

• Data related to public support, such as public support for elderly care or home help services..
• Data on services and resources available, such as services for dependent persons (day centre for older people and residence for older people), the inclusive community action resources or the active ageing workshops..
• Data related to aspects about their social situation , such as active older people, loneliness in older people or the gender digital divide.
• Data related to survey and statistics, such as the survey of users of the Telecare Service, lthe statistics on social services for the elderly or the ageing evolution of the population over 65 years of age from 2024-1975.
• Data from studies on the subject, such as the study on the accessibility of public buildings or the study on the satisfaction of users of the Meals on Wheels service..

These are just a few examples, but you can consult the complete list on the website of Iniciativa Open Data Barcelona.

 Open Data Barcelona Initiative has also created in previous years compilations of materials and rankings of datasets on other topics of social interest, such as climate change or municipalities with friendly public spaces..

Data Observatory x Seniors

Barcelona Open Data Initiative and the Democratic Union of Pensioners and Retirees of Spain, with support from the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumption and Agenda 2030, also presented a few months ago the first Data website of the Data Observatory x Seniors. Its aim is to facilitate the analysis of healthy ageing in Spain, strategic decision-making and public intervention in rural and urban environments, in order to promote the autonomy, dignity and adaptability of older people.

At the moment, you can find it on this website:

• A database where data sets from various sources, such as the National Statistics Institute (INE) or the Ministry of the Interior, arecollected.
• A space where data is displayed in a simple way through interactive graphics, aimed at both private citizens interested in the subject and professionals who want to plan, organise or propose some kind of related service. The visualisations focus on the intervention of older people in the world of associations, segmented by urban and rural municipalities, as well as their involvement in other forms of participation and leisure activities that promote social interaction and well-being in general.

The idea is that the portal will also include training tools and options.

These two projects highlight examples of categories of data and tools that can be made available to citizens in order to understand how older people live and act, with the aim of improving their quality of life. A goal to which we must all contribute, as highlighted by the World Health Organisation with its Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021-2030) initiative. In the face of demographic change and the ageing of the population that we are experiencing, it is necessary to join forces to ensure that we can all enjoy an old age with the maximum possible well-being.