The ABC - Algarve Biomedical Center project “Short-term training to work in domestic structures for the elderly in the context of a pandemic has just been recognized as “good practice” in European terms, in the awards The European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Aging .

This training program was created in the context of pandemy, integrated within the scope of the measures implemented in response by the Ministry of Work, Solidarity and Social Security (MTSSS), still in 2020 and 2021, and had as partners the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM) and the Instituto de Emprego e Formação Profissional (IEFP).
The project aimed to train workers at Residential Establishments for the Elderly (ERPI) with technical and psychosocial skills essential to the performance of their duties, including interaction with infected residents. The training took place throughout the country, with 72 courses being held and almost 1300 professionals were covered.
The good practice, now recognized, will be shared within the scope of the recognition ceremony of the European reference centers for active and healthy aging, on the 10th of October. The ABC/IEFP/INEM project was the only Portuguese good practice highlighted among the 4 best practices highlighted across Europe.

This project integrated a set of measures that allowed Portugal to become the European country with the lowest mortality from Covid-19 among the oldest residents in ERPI.