Ivan Chorbev participated in The 5th ASTEK Conference of Assistive Technologies and Communication (ASTEK), thatwas held on the 3rd of November 2023 in Belgrade, Serbia. Ivan Chorbev was granted an Dissemination Conference grant in our Action, to participate with the paper entitled “How Can We Implement Smart Healthy Age-Friendly Environments (Shafe)? Cost Action Net4age-Friendly As An International Collaboration Approach”, co-authored by Ivan Chorbev, Carina Dantas, Willeke van Staalduinen, Petre Lameski, Eftim Zdravevski.

The conference was a hybrid one and had some 250 attendees on site and many more online. In addition to many university researchers in the field, from throughout the region, the presence was significant from employees in rehabilitation centres, special educators, biros for education, teachers in specialized schools etc, since the conference was accredited as a lifelong learning event providing points and certificates to attendees in their career progress and job requirements.

The presentation that Ivan delivered was part of an invited lecture invitation, aligned with the Action Science Communication Plan. Ivan explained the Action’s goals and research findings, the network and collaboration opportunities. Core challenges were highlighted and objectives set forth by the COST action Net4Age Friendly, including enhancing the quality of life for the aging population and fostering an age-friendly environment.

The presentation was customized to a diverse and multifaceted audience. It primarily targeted researchers, scientists, and professionals involved in gerontology, age-friendly policies, and assistive technologies.  Having the attendance of special educators and rehabilitation workers in the audience, the presentation disseminated the action results to relevant end-users.  By sharing the research insights, end-users were empowered with actionable information that can be applied to improve the quality of life for children and older adults. The action’s results were disseminated to those who can make a tangible difference in the lives of people in need and foster age-friendly environments.

More information is available at the conference website: http://astek.rs/