DECC 2025 Workshop Summary
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The international hybrid workshop titled “Digital Ecosystems in Community Care” (DECC) was held on 8 December 2025, jointly organized by Multilogic Consulting and Computing Ltd., the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Informatics of the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME VIK), and the Municipality of Újbuda, District XI of Budapest, with the support of the Active Assisted Living (AAL) Programme.
During the four sessions of the workshop, a total of 13 presentations were given, covering the following topics:
- Municipality & digitalization: status, plans, needs
- Caring communities
- Mental fitness in old age and cognitive screening
- Home care: methods & best practices
A total of 109 participants attended the workshop, 60 of them in person and 49 online. Among the online participants multiple international attendees were present, and presentations were delivered from Romania and Bulgaria as well.
A wide range of institutions was represented at the workshop, including municipalities and social service providers, healthcare and health promotion organizations, higher education and research institutions,church and civil society organizations, as well as professionals from technology and consulting companies.
The event was opened by Attila Erhardt, Vice Mayor, and Sándor Imre, Dean of BME VIK. This was followed by an overview of the main topics and objectives of the workshop.
In the first session, presenters introduced the current situation and opportunities of digitalization from a municipal and public service perspective, highlighting the role of smart technologies in the development of educational, social, and elderly care services, as well as in creating user-centered and sustainable municipal solutions. The second session focused on the role and operation of caring communities, highlighting models based on local, national, and international cooperation, and how the combined application of community engagement and digital tools can support older people in both urban and rural settings. The third session explored possibilities for the prevention and early detection of cognitive decline in older age, presenting the role of clinical screening, physical condition assessment, and digital and smart solutions in reliable measurement and personalized support. Finally, the fourth session addressed the practical challenges and solutions of home care services, showcasing international good practices, digitally supported care coordination, and approaches to relieving the burden on family caregivers in order to ensure sustainable care systems.
The workshop confirmed that the future of community care is built on cross-sector collaboration, the conscious application of digital innovations, and a human-centered approach.
Building on the experiences of DECC 2025, we plan to organise a professional event next year on a new topic but with a similar mindset, in order to continue the established connections and joint thinking developed so far.
