AGELESS - preventing premature AGEing LEveraging Sport and Social inclusion

Persons with intellectual disability or cognitive impairments are among the people most exposed to the risk of premature ageing, and the related burden of psycho-physical decline and chronic diseases. The disruptive Covid-19 emergency worsened such a risk for this group, by hindering sport and physical activity as well as generating stress conditions, especially during the lockdown periods. AGELESS project wants to answer to this societal challenge through the creation of a network and exchange of good practices among partners that support persons with disability and disadvantaged individuals in physical activity and sport practice targeted to the prevention of premature ageing and the enhancement of health and well-being. AGELESS project represents a concrete and tangible EU intervention not only to boost sport and physical activity as European integration tool but also to support the most vulnerable EU citizens who were negatively affected by the coronavirus restriction measures. The partners – among them a Spanish sport club – will exchange and compare the most beneficial and cost-effective sport training programs for persons with disability that prevent the risk of premature ageing and improve their physical and mental well-being, enhancing their health conditions and social inclusion. A cycle of 3 transnational meetings will involve dozens of trainers, sport staff, health and care professionals as well as athletes from the participating organizations. Each meeting will focus on a thematic topic related to the best training programmes for disadvantaged individuals to contain their risk of premature ageing. The best practices and outcomes of the meetings will be collected in a Handbook and a Protocol to ensure regular physical activity against premature ageing. AGELESS impact includes also the reinforcement of the EU dimension - through the establishment of a transnational network – and of social inclusion and life expectancy of persons with disabilities