About
Poverty places individuals and their families in a disadvantaged position, restricting them from societal participation, access to information and care, raising barriers and hindering development across the age continuum. Inclusive societies should strive to protect and integrate their vulnerable groups marginalized by poverty. In Greece, 28.3% of the population is at-risk-of-poverty and/or social exclusion, a figure much higher than the European average. The risk of poverty is higher for children younger than 17 years (32.0%). Households without dependents face a 15.4% risk, whereas in families with dependents the risk rises to 22%. Finally, regarding older individuals, the risk-of-poverty for retired citizens is 10.6% and for individuals older than 75 years is 15.1%.
This project focuses on individuals and families in the two extremes of the age spectrum, namely toddlers, 18 to 36 months and senior citizens, older than 75 years of age. Problems with the primary daily functions of Communication, Swallowing and Mobility (CoSMo) place these groups in social disadvantage, reducing their quality-of-life potential. These problems and their effects are magnified when inidividuals live near or below the poverty line, given that low socioeconomic status tends to hinder access to educational resources and health care provisions.
Thus, the primary goals of the MAP CoSMo project are i) to identify potential indicators of CoSMo disorders that are related to the ‘at-risk-of-poverty’ status of toddlers and senior citizens , ii) map potential barriers and facilitators for addressing CoSMo issues and iii) facilitate the social inclusion of the two target groups.