Andrzej Klimczuk

Open access peer-reviewed chapter

Active assisted living (AAL) aims to use innovative technologies to create supportive, inclusive, and empowering applications and environments that enable older, impaired or frail people to live independently and stay active longer in society. This chapter provides an introduction to the main concepts of AAL, provides a brief history of the evolution of such technologies, and gives a functional view of how AAL system architecture can be conceptualized. It then provides a taxonomy of AAL technologies and applications, followed by technological underpinnings of audio- and video- based AAL.

Is a provisional file, not the final typeset article This Research Topic explores the third Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) to "ensure healthy lives 29 and promote wellbeing for all at all ages," highlighting the severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. 30The pandemic has threatened to reverse prior improvements in maternal and child health, immunization 31 coverage, and reductions in communicable and non-communicable disease mortality while also 32 disrupting essential health services, shortening life expectancy, and worsening mental health issues and 33 healthcare access inequalities. This collection contains studies examining how social stratification, 34 geography, and culture affect health, aiming to inform policymakers on developing equitable public 35 health policies to address disparities and improve wellbeing. 36The collection " Raji and Demehin, 2023); (4) integrated innovation combining ideas from the fields the environmental 110 policy, social policy, and health policy (see Klimczuk, Klimczuk-Kochańska, and Felix, 2022); and (5) 111 privacy and ethical issues related to e-health solutions such as telemedicine platforms, mobile health 112 apps, and wearable health devices (see Wyllie et al., 2022).

Introduction: The conjunction of physical frailty and cognitive impairment without dementia is described as Cognitive Frailty (CF). Indications that CF is potentially reversible have led to proposals that risk factors, symptoms or mechanisms of CF would be appropriate targets for interventions for prevention, delay or reversal. However, no study has brought experts together across sectors to determine targets, content or mode of interventions, and most resources on interventions are from the perspective of academic or clinical researchers only. This international Delphi consensus study brings together experts from academic and clinical research, lay people with lived experience of CF, informal carers, and professional care practitioners/clinicians.Methods: Three rounds of Delphi study were held to discern which factors and statements were agreed upon by the whole sample and which generated different views in those with differing expertise. A scoping review and Round 1 (29 participants) were used to gather initial statements. In Round 2, 58 people responded to statements and open text items, comprising 7 lab-based researchers, 27 researchers working with people, 14 people with lived experience or informal family carers, and 10 professional carers/clinicians. Percent agreement and qualitative responses were analyzed to provide a final set of statements which were checked by 38 respondents in Round 3.Results: Analysis of Round 2 quantitative data provided 74 statements on which there was at least 70% agreement and qualitative data produced a further 24 statements. These were combined to provide 90 statements for Round 3. There was Consensus for 89 of the statements. A few differences between the groups were observed at both stages.Discussion and conclusion: The consensus for statements associated with CF interventions provides a useful first step in defining health promotion activities and interventions. Given the prevalence and potential disability caused by CF in older populations, the consensus statements represent expert opinion that is inter-sectoral and will inform public health policies to support implementation of evidence-based prevention and intervention plans. This study is an important step toward changing current approaches, by including all stakeholders from the outset. Outcomes can be used to feed into co-creation of interventions for cognitive frailty.

This Research Topic is an extension of the 32nd European Social Services Conference (Antwerp, Belgium, 26-28 June 2024), the European Social Network’s annual event. This edition focused on co-creating future community-based social services. Event participants and others working or researching in this field were invited to submit their theoretical and empirical contributions examining co-creation regarding urban social inclusion, workforce management, and digital social service solutions. Emphasis was placed on challenging and refining the sociological, social policy, and social work theories that underpin assumptions about co-production, personalization, social inclusion, and diversity in service provision and evaluation.Four journals were involved in this project: “Frontiers in Sociology,” “Frontiers in Communication,” “Frontiers in Digital Health,” and “Frontiers in Public Health.” The presented collection includes nine articles by 42 authors from: China, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, and the United States. Four types of articles are included, covering: six original research articles (Huang et al.; Jiao et al.; Li and Li; Lyu; Standaar; Trenggono et al.), one brief research report (Shraga et al.), one review (Lippai et al.), and one opinion (Galioto et al.). The call for papers was open and not limited to conference participants. As a result, the collection includes studies focused on cases from European countries such as Italy, the Netherlands, and Ukraine, as well as thematically related research from China and Indonesia. The studies are organized according to three themes.Theme I: Co-Creating Cities Social InclusionIn the first study included in this Research Topic, Lippai et al. propose a meta-theory perceiving well-being as a socially constructed representation tied to individual and collective choices affecting quality of life and arguing that current public health approaches are insufficient. This study advocates for a new “public wellbeing system” built on co-production, aligning with theories emphasizing user participation to meet societal needs. The model applies to co-creating inclusive cities by addressing collective well-being and social positioning via participatory service design.Two next studies focus on cases from China. Li and Li examined Chinese childcare policies framed by social constructionism, which reveal a system dominated by government and institutional actors, highlighting challenges of urban-rural disparities and unequal resource distribution pertinent to social inclusion. The findings indicate insufficient co-creation involving communities and families in developing and implementing health-oriented childcare despite the acknowledged need for collaboration among diverse actors. Enhancing urban social inclusion requires improving negotiation among all stakeholders and sharing responsibilities.In the next paper, Lyu shows that access to public health services significantly enhances migrant workers’ intention to settle in Chinese cities, fostering urban social inclusion by improving their satisfaction and sense of belonging. While confirming service provision’s positive impact, the findings highlight the need to tailor services to migrant workers’ needs. Applying co-creation by involving migrant workers in service design/adaptation could be crucial for promoting their urban integration.Theme II: Co-Creating Responses to Manage the Future WorkforceHuang et al.’s study on hospital operational efficiency in Western China identified declining efficiency and suboptimal resource utilization, implicitly impacting the healthcare workforce environment and suggesting a need for strategic shifts in hospital management. The analysis points to factors such as personnel expenses and resource allocation as areas for improvement. Addressing future workforce challenges could thus involve co-creation and engaging professionals in designing quality-focused work systems and resource management.The study by Trenggono et al. examined how a university rector utilizes communication patterns, including symbols and rituals, as adaptive strategies to manage the academic workforce and preserve institutional culture amidst challenges such as performance decline and scandals. However, the analysis highlights top-down communication efforts, which contrasts with co-creation principles. Co-creation theories suggest managing the future workforce requires moving beyond unilateral communication towards participatory processes, engaging staff in shaping cultural responses, building trust, and defining resilience.Theme III: Co-Creating Digital Solutions for Social InclusionPapers included in this section start with Standaar et al., who focus on digital health skills training in Dutch public libraries as a solution to foster social inclusion, revealing that despite identifying diverse, vulnerable groups, these programs struggle to reach beyond older adults due to accessibility issues and client barriers. The findings strongly advocate collaborations (libraries, healthcare, welfare, community organizations) to enhance reach/diversity, reflecting social policy approaches emphasizing multi-stakeholder co-creation. Effective co-creation thus requires interorganizational partnerships and potentially deeper community engagement.The team of Jiao et al. provides an analysis of participation drivers in a web-based time bank in China, identifying this digital platform as an explicit form of co-creation aimed at fulfilling unmet social needs and potentially enhancing community social inclusion. Analyzing service request narratives, the research reveals that engagement is motivated more by extrinsic rewards (time credits) and intrinsic cues (social connection, personal value) than pure altruism. Understanding these motivations through sociological and social policy lenses is...

Purpose. To assess the role of subjective relevance within management standards, employing first- and second-order confirmatory factor analyses (CFA). To analyze the integration of diverse metrics from sustainability reports to gauge a company’s environmental impact alongside the evolving significance of organizational longevity as a measure of success in the business domain. To establish the efficacy of implementing management standards such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 in the process of pursuing sustainability objectives. Methodology. Quantitative research methods were employed, utilizing tools and techniques, including SPSS Statistics and Amos software for data analysis. Statistical data from Bangladesh’s RMG (Ready-Made Garments) industry was processed to conduct CFA. A survey questionnaire was administered to a representative sample of 603 residents in Gazipur, Bangladesh. The CFA analysis evaluated absolute and incremental fits, validating subjective management system norms through first- and second-order internal and external environment satisfaction analyses. Findings. The findings indicate that organizations implementing management standards like ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 demonstrate greater efficiency in pursuing sustainability goals than those without such standards. As confirmed by the CFA analyses, integrating subjective relevance within these standards validates their role in addressing internal and external environmental concerns. Furthermore, the study underscores the evolving landscape of success indicators in the business realm, emphasizing the importance of sustainability and longevity metrics alongside traditional economic measures. Originality. This study is among the first to utilize first- and second-order CFA to evaluate MSS criteria in the Bangladeshi RMG business, filling a void in empirical research on sustainability outcomes in developing markets. Practical value. The results add to the increasing body of research on management criteria, showing that operational efficiencies and environmental benefits result from subjective norms coupled with ISO and OHSAS standards.

The need for ethical guidelines that support and empower researchers who aim to enhance the societal impact of research has become critical. Recognizing the growing emphasis on research impact by governments and funding bodies worldwide, this article investigates the often overlooked ethical dimensions of generating and evaluating research impact. We focus on ethical issues and practices that are specific to the process of intentionally working to develop societal impacts from research. We highlight the complexities and ethical dilemmas encountered when researchers engage with non-academic groups, such as policymakers, industries, and local communities. Through a combination of literature review and insights from participatory workshops, the article identifies key issues and offers a new ethical framework for responsible research impact. This framework aims to guide researchers and institutions through the process of limiting potential harm while delivering societal benefits in a way that is realistic and balanced. The aim is to establish ethical practices for engagement and impact, without making the process so onerous that researchers are less likely to undertake such activities. The article concludes with actionable recommendations for policymakers, research funders, research performing organizations, institutional review boards and/or ethics committees, and individual researchers. Making use of such recommendations can foster an ethically responsible approach to research impact across academic disciplines.