This qualitative research is an in-depth exploration within Spoke 10, WP5 of the national project AGE-IT, which aims to reshape the trajectories of ageing in Italy by integrating systemic care and inclusive policies. The study focuses on a specific subset of ten older women living in the mountainous province of Piacenza. These women, often symbolically and geographically marginalised, shared their life stories in depth.

Using the Listening Guide methodology (Gilligan, 1982; Koelsch, 2015), the research captures the multiplicity of voices, contradictions, and silences within personal narratives, revealing how ageing is lived, endured, and sometimes resisted. The analysis sheds light on emotional, relational, and cultural complexities that are often overlooked by conventional policy frameworks.

Findings suggest that these women, though often framed as vulnerable, are also resilient and actively engaged in co-creating informal practices of active ageing. Their voices challenge linear and deficit-based models and propose a situated, plural, and dialogical understanding of ageing.

The study draws on complex thinking (Morin, 1990; Bateson, 1972) and on systemic care ethics (Formenti, 2021), advocating for policy frameworks that recognize the centrality of local knowledge and relational ecologies. In this sense, listening becomes an act of epistemic justice and transformation, making space for ageing policies that are inclusive, polyphonic, and attuned to the peripheries.

Introduction: In Italy, the Family and Community Nurse (FCN) was officially recognized with Legislative Decree 34/2020 and redefined by Ministerial Decree 77/2022. The introduction of the FCN has been inconsistent across the nation, leading to fragmented experiences and challenges in fully integrating the role into the healthcare system. Aim: Based on Cohen’s hermeneutic approach, this phenomenological study explores the lived experiences and meaning of being an FCN in Italy. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted from December 2023 to June 2024. Interviews were transcribed, read in-depth and analyzed. Results: Thirty-seven FCNs from four Italian regions were interviewed. Four main themes were identified: (a) Working with an aging population; (b) Education as a core function; (c) Being a node in the healthcare network; (d) Defining the FCN identity through role differentiation. Conclusions: Working with an aging population requires managing complex needs, ensuring continuity of care, building trust with patients and caregivers, and collaborating effectively with healthcare providers and Community-Based Organizations. The implications for practice suggest the need to support FCNs in this consolidation phase through health policies that enhance their contribution to community care.

Effectively communicating complex statistical model outputs is a major challenge in public health. This study introduces the FARSI approach (Fast, Accessible, Reliable, Secure, Informative) as a framework to enhance the translation of intricate statistical findings into actionable insights for policymakers and stakeholders.
The FARSI framework outlines key principles for developing user-friendly tools that improve the translation of statistical results.
We applied these principles to create an open-access web application using R Shiny, designed to communicate chronic disease prevalence estimates from a Bayesian spatio-temporal logistic model.
By using this tool, stakeholders are able to explore disease prevalence across populations and geographical area through dynamic visualizations facilitating public health monitoring. For instance, disparities at the local level can be assessed, as well as the impact of risk factors such as smoking. The user-friendly interface of the web application enhances accessibility, making statistical findings more actionable.
As highlighted by the case study, the FARSI framework provides useful guidelines to improving the communication of complex research findings. By making statistical models more accessible and interpretable, it supports evidence-based decision-making in public health and increases the societal impact of research.

Introduction: in Italy, the role of the Family and Community Nurse (FCN) has only recently been formalized to support person-centred, community-based care and strengthen continuity between primary care services and home settings. While the concept of mutuality — the reciprocal, trust-based relationship between nurse and patient — has shown clear benefits in hospital contexts, little is known about how it develops in community settings. This study aimed to describe factors shaping mutuality between FCNs, patients, and their caregivers.

Methods: a descriptive qualitative study was conducted within the Biella Local Health Authority. Data were collected between May and July 2024 through 29 semi-structured interviews with FCNs, patients, and caregivers. The interview guide was based on the framework by Cilluffo et al., and data were analyzed using Framework Analysis with a deductive approach, validated by two independent researchers.

Results: analysis identified three main themes: (1) preliminary conditions, including individual and organizational factors such as the nurse’s experience, continuity of care, and the home as the primary care setting; (2) relational factors shaping the development of mutuality, including trust-building, the FCN as a reliable point of reference, and negotiation between health goals and patient expectations; and (3) perceived outcomes, including enhanced patient self-management, and professional satisfaction among nurses, though accompanied by emotional strain from deep relational engagement.

Conclusions and implications: the findings highlight the centrality of relational and collaborative dimensions within FCN practice, emphasizing the need to develop advanced relational competencies, flexibility, and adaptive strategies to effectively address the complex needs of patients and families.

The ageing global population has important economic and social implications, making the promotion of healthy aging a major goal. To achieve this goal, nutrition and physical exercise have been identified as key determinants. In recent years, digital health technologies have emerged as promising tools to support individuals, including older adults, in maintaining their health.

This project aims to create a user-friendly mobile application to support older adults in meeting recommended guidelines for physical activity and healthy eating. We began with a systematic review of the literature to understand the current evidence of existing benefits of apps that involve both diet and exercise in elderly. Then, we conducted focus groups to explore older adults’ attitudes toward technology, and we studied the effects of different training protocols that will be implemented in the app.

To date, 29 older adults have completed 12-week supervised exercise program involving three different training interventions. We performed tests at baseline, after two and three months, including body composition, muscle strength, aerobic capacity, and muscle biopsies. Muscle strength significantly increased from baseline to the end of the training protocol (p<0.001, +21.2%) and also after the first two months of training (p<0.001; +14.7%). However, changes in total lean (p=0.50; +0.6%) and muscle fiber cross-sectional area were not statistically significant (p=0.14; +14.8%).

While strength improved, structural changes were not significant. Considering the absence of clear group-level effects, Future steps will focus on identifying individual characteristics influencing responsiveness to training to further personalize the app and enhance healthy aging outcomes.