Grandchildren for Rent

By project NOTRE

Published on 31 August 2023

Italy

About this good practice

The service, that ANT (National Cancer Association) is able to provide to its patients and their caregivers, is free of charge thanks to a grant from EmilBanca, a Bologna-based credit institution. In this way, the non-profit organization is able to pay for the activities provided by boys and girls who offer technological and psychological support to the elderly.
The project idea for “Grandchildren for rent” was developed by Senex, an Italian start-up located in the city of Bari. The main reason why this project was carried out is to support and come to the rescue of older people who have difficulty interfacing with technology offering an in-person assistance for multiple devices-from smartphones to computers. By introducing this practice, ANT wanted to offer technical support (i.e. book medical visits and creation of a digital identity to access public administration services) but also psychological and emotional closeness. Essentially, this service provides, tailored to the special daily needs of patients and their carers, a system that is already well established in the city of Bologna and will be active in 9 other Italian cities from 2024.
The practice reaches its objectives thanks to the experience and expertise of younger people who use technology every day and are constantly updated on the latest news. It also guarantees schedule flexibility, patience and respect both in-person and remote.

Resources needed

The funds for activities in the 2023 -2024 biennium, made available by the partner, are 25 thousand euros. In terms of human resources, 12 beneficiaries are involved for now, and the intention is to increase the number in the following year.

Evidence of success

The success of the GP is given by the results obtained during the first period of implementation of this service. Data report:
- 32 end users (elderly, caregivers) currently using the service;
- 12 young people currently involved in the implementation of the service;
- 10 different Italian cities will implement the service.
The elderly are learning to use technology and are more independent in the use of technological and digital devices.

Potential for learning or transfer

The key elements considered successful and interesting for other regions to learn from are related to the ability of this service to provide technical support to people with frailties, due to their health conditions (cancer patients), and emotional support in overcoming digital barriers, thus improving the degree of autonomy and gratification of users.Thanks to the technical skills acquired,end users are able to independently access financial support and contributions and the digital public health service and obtain information on their health status. The success of the project is that it will be implemented in 6 other Italian regions (Puglia,Campania,Piedmont,Lombardy,Sicily,Liguria) and in 10 other Italian cities.In fact, starting from 2024,the service will be available in 3 other Italian cities, thanks to a fundraiser developed by ANT.In the remaining cities identified, the service will be active once the funds have been reached;for this reason a call to action has been activated.