Age-friendly Community 5.0

Welcome to Age-friendly Community 5.0, an initiative focused on fostering inclusive and sustainable societies by championing the well-being of our ageing population. Rooted in innovation, our community harnesses smart technology and gerontotechnology to enhance the quality of life for older adults. By integrating interdisciplinary teaching and research activities, we aim to cultivate a vibrant knowledge ecosystem that bridges academia, society, and industry. Our programmes span lifelong learning, digital solutions, and policy making, leveraging cross-campus and international collaborations to tackle ageism and bolster intergenerational solidarity. Through our dynamic workshops, educational courses, and an annual international conference, we foster a global platform for dialogue and action. Engage with us in shaping the future—both for today’s community and for successive generations.

How to get involved?

Please contact:

• Anamarija Kejžar (UL), Connected Community Lead
• Mateja Melink (UL), Local Facilitator for Connected Communities

Connected Community Members

Lead: Anamarija Kejžar (UL)

Anamarija Kejžar has over 30 years of experience in social work and leadership, including serving as a care home director. Since 2019, she has been an assistant professor and researcher at the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Social Work, focusing on long-term and palliative care, dementia, social innovation in ageing, and knowledge management in the non-profit sector. She leads several courses and collaborates with the University’s School of Economics and Business and Faculty of Medicine. Her research explores user-centered long-term care, social care, smart technologies, dementia, palliative care, and age-friendly communities.

Adriana Teodorescu (UBB)

Adriana Teodorescu is a Ph.D. Lecturer in the Department of Social Work at Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, and Vice-Dean for Research since 2024. She holds Ph.D.s in Comparative Literature (2011) and Sociology (2020). A researcher in the COVERAGE EU project (since 2021), she focuses on care experiences, vulnerable older adults, and participatory research. She is Romania's ambassador for the Association for the Study of Death and Society and co-organized the “Dying and Death” conference (2010–2019). Her publications explore death studies, social and narrative gerontology, and cultural studies.

Nicoleta Neamtu (UBB)

Nicoleta Neamțu is an Associate professor in the Department of Social Work at Babeș-Bolyai University (UBB). She holds a Ph.D. in Sociology (2006) with a focus on Social Work Research from UBB, where she also earned degrees in Social Work and Law. She has completed international training, including a Fulbright at UNC Chapel Hill (1999–2000) and several scholarships in Europe and the U.S. She was recognized as “Personality of the Year 2013” for promoting social work education in Romania. In 2009, she launched and directs the master's program in Social Services Management at BBU. Her research covers social services management, individual, family and group social work, and innovation in social care. She has authored several books in Romanian on these topics.

Ieva Stončikaitė (UPF)

Ieva Stončikaitė holds a PhD in Literary Gerontology and English Studies from the University of Lleida, Spain. She is currently a Postdoctoral Researcher and teaches English literature in the Department of Humanities at Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), Barcelona. Her research focuses on literary and cultural representations of ageing, medical humanities, dementia care and ethics, illness narratives, age-friendly higher education, and travel writing. Ieva is also a member of the EUTOPIA Alliance's Young Leaders Academy (Cohort 3). She has presented her work at numerous conferences, seminars, and guest lectures, and her publications appear in journals such as The Gerontologist, Journal of Aging Studies, Educational Gerontology, and Life Writing, as well as in edited volumes by Routledge and Palgrave.

Francesco Miele (External partner - University of Trieste)

Francesco Miele is an Associate Professor of General Sociology at the University of Trieste. His research focuses on the intersections of technology, care practices, and work organizations. In recent years, he has explored topics such as the use of artificial intelligence in care processes, remote monitoring of individuals with chronic illnesses, and digital technologies for managing worker well-being. He is co-author of the book Reframing Algorithms: STS Perspectives to Healthcare Automation (with Paolo Giardullo, Palgrave Macmillan). He currently leads the national project ANTICIPATE, which investigates the use of robotics and remote monitoring in dementia care.