[In the picture] Katerina Sidiropulu Janku - senior researcher HAT

My name is Katerina Sidiropulu Janku, and I am a senior researcher at the Health Assistive Technologies (HAT) team of the Institute for Applied Research on Ageing. In the IARA we conduct interdisciplinary research on ageing, focusing on synergies between technological, social and economical aspects of ageing and challenges of ageing society in the context of rural environment. Since 2019 we also operate the prolida Living Lab, Professional Living, Innovation and Development Lab for an Ageing Society. As a member of European Network of Living Labs ENoLL, we have been in contact with LiCalab since years. 

I joined the IARA-HAT team in order to support interdisciplinary cooperation, as a scholar with background in sociology, ethnography and architecture I support evaluation studies, user experience research and fostering quadruple-helix innovative development in the sector of elderly care and sustainable urban development. Recently, we conducted a pilot study in the senior residential care home to evaluate the well-being uplift of both residents and caring personnel with a fall detection system that includes the Nobi lamp. LiCalab was also involved in the development and it is currently tested at Thomas More’s Experience Lab.

During my Erasmus Staff Mobility visit at Thomas More in Geel I was happy to take part in the daily life of LiCalab, including a co-creation session on the topic of data sharing in care (the dynamic of the discussion across generations was very informative) and an informal monthly networking Coffee & Connect event of Health & Care Network Kempen in an innovative residential care home Lindelo. Thanks to the hospitality of the LiCalab team, I learned about how the living lab panel is managed and discovered regional innovations that reflect Geel’s long-standing reputations for innovative approaches to care. I hope to follow-up on my stay by sharing and gaining inspiration from other living lab initiatives in health and well-being across Europe.