2023 Recognized Innovation
“There are many dreams, and dreams are the last to die, they die with you.”
― Arletty Pinel, age 68
Dreams are often considered to be the business of young people, but Arletty Pinel, age 68, is a firm believer that one should never think life is too short to realize one, or rather, several dreams. Arletty has made it her goal to harness the power of older people and to regard aging as an opportunity for innovation and entrepreneurship.
In her career, Arletty has accumulated many skills and experiences that have ideally positioned her to pioneer a new holistic initiative, called E-Silver. Her background as a medical doctor has given her insight into the health challenges faced by many marginalized population groups, and her career as an international public health professional gave her a seat at many leadership tables where programmatic and funding decisions were made. It wasn’t until she returned to Panama after a 33-year career abroad, and witnessed the challenges her elderly parents were facing, that she became passionate about applying her knowledge, skills, and experience to supporting her parents and other older individuals just like them.
E-Silver is a Panama-based initiative focused on strengthening the silver economy ecosystem. This Central American country, home to home to 4,064,780 people (2023) has a growing older adult population and it is expected that people over the age of 60 years will comprise 26% of the population by 2060. The silver economy is a concept that has grown out of the needs of older adults and related business and innovation opportunities, both in services and products, that could be offered. In Panama, the silver economy ecosystem is still very nascent, and few actors are contributing to this growing space.
Across Latin America, silver economy actors are mainly engaged in the health and care sector, focused domestically and working in the for-profit private sector. Based on Arletty’s background, focusing on the health of older adults was also the starting point for the E-Silver team. Through engaging with older people, they learned that health was not their greatest concern but rather that three concerns were of top priority – financial security, food security, and social connection. As highlighted by the Covid-19 pandemic, digital tools play a key facilitating role in being able to achieve these priorities. Thus, taking a more holistic view of health, well-being, and happiness, Arletty and the E-Silver team have been piloting different hybrid (digital and in-person) interventions that could support older adults in three different community settings in Panama (Barrio de Betania, Soná A and Chorrera).
First, to enhance social connection and digital literacy among older adults, a collaboration was established with students from the Technological University of Panama and other public universities, the Catholic Church and other stakeholders. E-Silver and students would host workshops to train older adults on how to integrate and adopt technology safely in their daily lives (from online banking to e-health applications). This has made it possible for many older individuals to benefit from an e-health platform called Kwido, replicated in Panama by E-Silver. These workshops are also used for health promotion activities. Second, the intergenerational relationships that have been created between older adults and students during these workshops have led to the identification of many silver economy entrepreneurial opportunities to enhance financial security. To enable these silver economy solutions to be developed and strengthen the local ecosystem, E-Silver is creating a virtual incubator program to support youth and older adults in developing their ideas further. They will also be launching a dedicated online ‘marketplace’ where the products or services created by these intergenerational collaborations can be shared.
The interaction between youth and older adults has had an important role in changing social perceptions and enhancing each other’s well-being. Older adults have felt revitalized by the energy of the youth. Eunice, an older woman living in a nursing home, has been very active in the virtual incubation program and expressed her enthusiasm to work on a business idea, even if she may never realize it in her lifetime but nothing can stop her from dreaming. Similarly, the young students have been encouraged by older adults, and this has improved their self-esteem especially as many face challenging social backgrounds.
“Who says it’s late? If you want to dream. Show what you know. Sing and dance. Who says it’s too late to enjoy? There’s a lot to do. To see life shine. Who says it’s too late to be happy? If the heart beats, the soul smiles. Who says it’s too late for a flower to bloom? There is still a long way to live”
Lyrics from the “Who says it’s too late?” campaign song against ageism
Not only have relationships been built between youth and older adults, but the initiative has also created the opportunity for collaboration with local government community boards, the Ministry of Social Development, community organizations, the Catholic Church, universities, and private technology companies. E-Silver may only have been started 1-year ago (September 2022) but it has already engaged over 500 older adults. This engagement has created many new ideas that Arletty and her team want to pursue as they refine, grow, and sustain their work in Panama.
TEAM
This project is made possible through the creative efforts of:
Dr Arletty Pinel, Prof Victor Lopez, Candy Chen, Elvira Melendez, Dr Aida Romero and Gloria Osorio
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
