The COST Action BetterCare was launched on Thursday, October 26th! The Management Committee members took part in the kick-off meeting in Brussels, Belgium at the COST Association for European Cooperation in Science and Technology. At the time of launch, 26 countries were participating in the Action.
Main proposer Prof. José Joaquín Mira from FISABIO Foundation in Spain was elected as the Action Chair and Prof. Reinhard Strametz from RheinMain University of Applied Sciences in Germany was elected as Vice Action Chair. Other leadership roles were also selected involving young researchers trained by COST. A Core Group has been established as well.
The Care Economy is a groundbreaking field due to population aging and the increase of non-communicable diseases. Providing safety care at home and ensuring people stay in their places as much as possible are current challenges around the world. Due to the increased complexity and intensity of caregiving at home, there is a greater chance of making errors that affect both the recipients’ health and the caregivers’ wellbeing. This Action joins efforts to ensure an error-free care environment at home. Cross-national collaboration involving citizens, end users, different disciplines, and perspectives is used to create an open dialogue and discussion among all stakeholders about the consequences of caregivers’ errors.