The Pro-Rectorate for Social Innovation Policies of the University of Rome Tor Vergata, UniCamillus Third Mission, together with Società Italiana di Cardiologia Geriatrica (Italian Society of Geriatric Cardiology), Fondazione Longevitas and Salute e Società ODV, announce the start of the second phase of the community prevention project ‘On line – on life’, which will take place from 2nd December to 7th December 2024 in the Church of SS Mario and Famiglia Martiri, Via del Ponte delle Sette Miglia 245, Rome.
Following the success of the first phase, which involved a large number of elderly people in the initial screening activities, this new phase will focus on the further involvement of around 300 people over the age of 65 who visit the church.
The check-ups will follow the model used previously, with a special focus on cardiovascular health, which is crucial for the elderly population, who often suffer from undiagnosed chronic diseases.
“Community prevention is an approach based on collaboration between health professionals and the community, creating a network of support and assistance that involves every aspect of community and association life. We are continuing this project, which has produced excellent results in previous phases, by directly involving the community of churchgoers and extending our commitment at the local level”, says Professor Alessandro Boccanelli, scientific coordinator of the project.
In the elderly population, cardiovascular prevention is essential: according to the latest data, 87% of people over the age of 65 suffer from at least one chronic disease, and half of them live with impaired health.
The project involves the submission of a medical history questionnaire to collect information on the participants’ clinical and social history, followed by a series of diagnostic tests, including an ECG, echocardiogram and cardiac auscultation with a digital stethoscope.
“Projects like this are an example of how the University can concretely respond to the social and health needs of the elderly, intervening directly in local areas and communities to promote well-being and health,” adds Rosaria Alvaro, Pro-Rector for Social Innovation Policies at Roma Tor Vergata.
The project, which involves students of the BSc Nursing at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, will then be extended to other structures and social groups, with the aim of creating a model of prevention and early diagnosis that brings together Third Mission Universities, scientific societies and Third Sector organisations.
Cardiovascular health and well-being in elderly people are influenced by a complex combination of clinical and socio-economic factors.
The current project also aims to explore how these two seemingly distinct areas are in fact closely linked and to develop a new understanding of ‘socio-economic vulnerability’. More specifically, UniCamillus University aims to establish a link between social and economic vulnerability and health-related vulnerability, offering an integrated interpretation that includes relational, affective and socio-cultural variables.
“Our research aims to assess the ‘relational assets’ of older people in order to extend the economic concept of wealth to include the social and relational dimension as a fundamental part of vulnerability. This innovative perspective will help redefine the notion of socio-economic vulnerability and may be crucial to improve the approach to the health and well-being of the elderly population,” says Donatella Padua, Associate Professor of Sociology at UniCamillus and Delegate to the same institution’s Third Mission.
“Community prevention is crucial in a country like ours, where 87% of people over 65 have at least one chronic disease and 60% have two or more,” stresses Dr Eleonora Selvi, President of Fondazione Longevitas. “Being able to detect cardiovascular and other chronic diseases at an early stage is crucial to improving quality of life and making our healthcare system more sustainable. In this context, the community approach allows us to reach a population that is often harder to reach”.
The screening project aims to identify common cardiovascular conditions in the elderly population, such as atrial fibrillation, heart failure and valvular heart disease, contributing to early diagnosis that can prevent future complications.
We would like to thank Esaote and General Electric, technical partners of the project.
Fondazione Longevitas Press Office