An aging population and diseases related to aging (Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, neuropathy) increase feet numbness, balance and mobility issues. Affected people stop feeling the ground properly, which makes them lose balance and increases the risk of falls and injuries, which in turn lead to devastating consequences. Patients and families lose their independence and public healthcare costs are rising as a result – now the European population aged 65+ uses 60% of healthcare resources. One of the ways to reduce the costs of care for the elderly and chronic patients relates to fall prevention. At Walk With Path we invented Path Feel – an insole that provides vibrational feedback to the feet in real time to help people feel the ground again. It increased the balance and mobility of 92% of users and reduces their risk of falls by 50%. We have proven that it works in number of pre-clinical studies. By bringing mobility back, Path Feel gives more freedom to the patient and the family. Within the project we will finish our existing prototype, validate it, certify, and introduce it to the market after the project ends. The elderly population in the EU is projected to increase, reaching 75 million in 2020 and 88 million in 2030. Over 220 million people worldwide suffer from balance and sensory issues, and the global walking aids market is estimated to surpass €1 billion by 2023, growing at an estimated CAGR of 4.3% from 2018 to 2023. We work with patient organizations and key opinion leaders to introduce the product to the market. We have multiple distribution agreements across the world (EU, Asia, America) and work with global shoe and insole manufacturers. We have already commercialized our first innovative product in the mobility sector – for patients with Parkinson’s disease.

The WAge project will develop and validate the first comprehensive framework for assessing and understanding the roles and interactions between physical and psychosocial risk factors across age groups through robust modelling and policy-relevant evidence gathering. Through the proposed framework, the project will pave the way for designing, implementing and validating effective multi-level intervention strategies and policy changes for workers of all ages at the individual and organizational level. The project focuses on a question that has high societal relevance and is timely because the proportion of employees under adverse physical and psychosocial work environments is likely to increase as organisations, businesses, and workers have to adapt to post-pandemic working environments in an ageing Europe. WAge is proposing a concept that is addressing the factors related to the health and overall wellbeing of workers across age groups. One of the main aims of the proposed action is the generation of integral, policy-relevant evidence that are vital for the improvement and update of occupational health but also for this HORIZON Europe call. In WAge, the gathering and utilization of evidence within decision-making spaces will be based on representation and accountability of policymaking, bringing multiple perspectives and knowledge through democratic participation into decision-making processes across the project, from data collection, and management, to analysis, and implementation.