Aug. 30, 2016 Europe Practice

House of Generations Schwaz: A one-stop shop for providing health and social services in Austria

The Municipality of Schwaz reorganized local health and social services around the purpose-built House of Generations; co-location of services increased coordination and improved access for vulnerable groups; shared living spaces, group activities and cooperative initiatives within the House of Generations generated a sense of community, fostering a supportive and inclusive environment for vulnerable groups; strong leadership helped forge effective partnerships with municipal and regional politicians through clearly communicating aims and objectives, contributing to the initiative’s successful development; extensive involvement and linkages with the wider community generated a new hub for community-based health and social services.

Sept. 6, 2016 Europe Practice

Introducing home care services in Bulgaria

The introduction of home care services was proposed as a patient-oriented solution for ensuring appropriate service provision closer to home; a pilot approach allowed the gradual rollout and testing of an existing home care model being implemented abroad, which was adapted to meet the Bulgarian context; efforts to introduce home care included creating new roles and responsibilities for the health workforce and developing information and communication resources; establishing the necessary health system conditions, including the development of a supportive legal framework, is an important area of focus for advancing the sustainability and scale of the current transformations.