The relationship between hospital and the community health care has been described as fragmented, poorly articulated and with significant gaps regarding information and communication flow. As a result, the current processes of interaction between the hospital and the community, especially when the older population is involved, have implications both in the delay of hospital discharge (with all the risks and costs associated) and in the high rates of rehospitalization and elderly institutionalization. This “vicious circle” will only be broken by an effective intersectoral policy of continuity of care, featured by integration, qualification and competence.

The 7th session of the Interactions Symposium will address the challenges of interaction reinforcement between the hospital and the community health components and disclose some experiences in the field, exploring obstacles, facilitators and opportunities.

The reduction of residential mobility is one of the major causes of the elderly institutionalization. In this sense, we must rethink home as the place where people want to live, enhancing mobility, autonomy and well-being. The complexity of these challenges calls for an integrated and multidisciplinary approach. Being that, synergies among different areas and sectors of intervention are essential to optimize security and housing mobility: from architecture & residential engineering and design & digital home automation to provision of care, such as nursing, occupational therapy and physiotherapy.)

The 6th session of the Interactions Symposium will focus on revisiting ‘home’ as a center of mobility promotion through the life course, which requires an integrated and multidisciplinary approach.

In urban rehabilitation, the quality of public space is important to improve social interaction and promote active and healthy ageing. However, there is a trend in urban planning to emphasize building and the safety of older people, and social needs, such as the social participation of older people, are often given little attention. Strengthening the link between the building and security components and the social participation and citizenship components is one of the major challenges that urban planning managers, public safety services and policy makers will increasingly face in everyday urban life.

The fifth session of the InterActions Symposium will discuss issues related to the social well-being and safety of older people in public spaces. In addition, the mechanisms of urban planning that can be used to strengthen their social participation and civil rights will also be discussed.

Housing is a crucial part of the social inclusion process. The right to adequate housing is included in all basic documents. However, there are still difficulties with the full implementation of this right, in particular it is noted that existing housing does not meet the needs of people with reduced mobility or in a situation of dependency needing home care. Homes, as places where we want to spend most of our lives, need to be accessible, affordable and suitable to provide care throughout the life cycle, especially in old age. In the fourth session of the InterActions Symposium, we will refocus housing in the context of public policy for inclusion and discuss its repositioning as a center of care throughout the life cycle.