TEC-MED project “Development of a Transcultural social-ethical-care model for the dependent population in the Mediterranean basin” is an integrated patient-centered care model. It is implemented in six countries: Spain, Lebanon, Tunisia, Greece, Egypt, and Italy. 

Presently, all the countries are preparing the pre-implementation phase in order to ensure properly the pilot phase. We are chiefly working on two activities: identification of centers or institutions working with older adults and the selection of Training Agents. 

The pilot stage in Tunisia will be implemented at 3 standards of living: public centers, private centers, and the elderly at home. They are currently working on the mapping of centers, organizations, and health services working with the elderly in the four governorates of Greater Tunis which are La Manouba, L’Ariana, Tunis et Ben Arous.   

The National Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology, partner of the project in Tunsia, is collaborating with local stakeholders and focal points at the Ministry of Women, Family, Children, and Seniors with the Directorate of elderly which is working on the protection of elderly persons and promotion of their health and social environment.  

They have identified multiple centers such as Gammarth center for the protection of elderly people or Manouba center, Mobile Teams of Ben Arous who cover elderly covid vaccination. 

Also, they are in touch with private centers such as Dar Baba for the elderly which is managed by a geriatrician.  

Their stakeholder sat the Ministry of social affairs is supporting the project by the identification of the categories of elderly people at risk of social exclusion included in the database of the Amen social program, such as people receiving an old-age premium.  

All of them are offering preventive and curative health care services to elderly people with chronic diseases and or at risk of exclusion and are involved in the identification of the elderly.

The TEC-MED project has differents criteria to included or not, the elderly in the care model. The inclusion criteria are Elderly 65 years and over, dependent and/or at risk of social exclusion, in institutions or at home as well as the caregivers who provide care to older persons at home. 

The exclusion criteria are: elderly with total dependency according to INICIARE and elderly in end-of-life care. 

Memorandums of understanding will be signed with public organizations, retirement homes, health facilities where Training Agents will be in contact with members of these organizations to implement the intervention on residents and caregivers. 

The objective is to reach 4,700 citizens,  older people who meet the criteria for the TEC-MED social care model, who will participate in the pilot phase. This target includes not only older adults but also their families and caregivers, whether they are at home or in nursing homes.  

Presently, they are searching for curious, innovative, and hard-working candidates with impeccable interpersonal and communication skills to be engaged as part of the TEC-MED project.  

They should master computer literacy, time management and time flexibility, training skills, ability to engage with community members in an open manner, capacity to work well under pressure, and ability to commute to different locations on the field. Language Skills required are fluency in French, English, and Tunisian Arabic. 

These training agents will work closely with seniors and their caregivers to implement the TEC-MED model. Previously they will follow both an international training and local training and this is an opportunity to develop new professional occupations for these persons. Therefore Training agent will become a trainer for other potential trainees. 

The Training Agent will be under a full-time contract for one year, and he will be supervised by the TEC-MED Tunisian project manager.