Fall prevention experts foster health of care home residents in Belgium
Falls in residential care centres often have serious physical – bruises or fractures – and psychological consequences – such as social isolation, depression and fear of falling. They also entail additional care costs. This is why it is important that residential care centres work preventively on fall prevention. In Belgium, residential care centres can get […]
Dance is for Every Body | Watch the Video
Andrew Carroll, a former soloist with The Philadelphia Ballet and now a professor at the University of South Florida’s School of Dance, has produced the video “Dance for All Ages: Dance is for Every Body.” The video focuses on the importance of combating ageism and challenging stereotypes about older people. The inspiration for the video came […]
Beautiful and practical: when clothes adapt to loss of independence
When you lose your independence or live with a disability, getting dressed can quickly become complicated. Yet, it’s an essential part of everyday life, also to maintain one’s identity and self-esteem. In recent years, specialist brands have emerged, offering ranges of ergonomic clothing that is easy to put on and compatible with a wheelchair or […]
NORC Innovation Centre designs the future of ageing in place in Canada
The NORC Innovation Centre (NIC) is an innovation hub launched at the University Health Network (UHN) in Ontario, Canada, with the mission to design the future of ageing in place. The aim is to bring a range of services and technology to older adults where they live, and to empower individuals to co-design these supports, […]
De Gelderhorst : a Dutch national centre for older deaf people
“De Gelderhorst” is the national centre for older deaf people in the Netherlands. Located in Ede, the services offered by the centre include accommodation, residential care, nursing and special facilities for older deaf people. The centre also organizes social activities where older deaf people can meet in a deaf-friendly environment. Visit Gelderhorst’s website to find […]
Le Village Landais : Innovative home for people with dementia
Inspired by the De Hogeweyk – Dementia Village in the Netherlands, the ‘Village Landais’, in France is an innovative home for people with dementia. Opened on 11 June 2020, the French village is home to 120 residents affected by Alzheimer’s or related diseases and supported by 120 staff and 120 volunteers. 10 places are reserved […]
A card game to raise awareness on the human rights of older people
Looking at the impact of COVID-19 policies on inequalities, the project RESISTIRÉ has developed a card-based game aiming to help protect the rights of older people. The aim of the EU-funded research project is to find sustainable solutions to these inequalities and to strengthen societal resilience to outbreaks. Running for 30 months until September 2023, […]
A bistro livens up a retirement home in France
In Abbeville, France, a bistro has been set up right in the middle of a residential care home. The idea may come as a surprise, but the benefits are already quite visible: the residents – and their families – are delighted. The local bistro is an emblematic place in France for sharing and socialising. It […]
Saphir, a retirement home where everyone feels at home
Saphir is a retirement home in Brussels, Belgium, where residents can benefit from culturally sensitive care. The care staff is of mixed origins and works with the residents and their families to integrate a cultural and religious dimension into the way care is provided. Saphir is the first retirement home in Belgium to be explicitly […]
Humanitude: a French label to re-humanise care
Invented by two former physical education and sports teachers, the ‘humanitude’ concept suggests a different approach to care for vulnerable groups that aims to restore their dignity and improve relations between patients and carers. A label has been created to recognize collective living spaces that respect this approach, places where one can feel at home, […]
‘Jamais seuls’ supports the adoption of a pet in old age
Jamais seuls is a non-profit organisation attached to the Animal Behaviour Centre in Belgium (Jodoigne), created and managed by Julie Willems, an ethologist and animal behaviourist, and her team. The aim of the association is to remove older dogs and cats from shelters and offer them for adoption to isolated older people, in order to […]
A council to give a voice to residents in French retirement homes
In France, retirement homes have a “council for social life” (‘Conseil de Vie Sociale’) that is aimed encourage the participation of residents and their families. It is a place for exchange and expression on all matters concerning the organisation and daily life in residential care facilities, the quality of services, the improvement of the living […]
COVID-19 & confinement: Echange de bonnes pratiques en milieu institutionnel en Belgique francophone
L’association Entr’âges, membre de AGE en belgique, a collecté les témoignages de membres de son réseau Intergénérationnel travaillant de près ou de loin avec des institutions pour personnes âgées et compilé une liste non exhaustive de bonnes pratiques. Cette liste est disponible ici
Touch therapy to ease loneliness and improve well being in care homes
As loneliness and lack of physical contact have been on the rise in nursing home since the beginning of the pandemic, a Belgian “touch therapist” struggles daily to try to improve older residents’ well being. Sebastien Vandenberghe has been using his hands for 20 years as a tool for sharing, soothing and healing in several […]
‘Forget dementia, remember the person’ – Flemish/Belgian campaign
In Belgium, the Flemish Minister for Welfare, Public Health and Family is launching an awareness campaign to challenge the way we look at older people living with dementia. The campaign website provides material and pictures aimed change the prevailing negative image associated with dementia into an image in which the human being is central. A […]
Tubbemoddelen: Innovative participative management model in Swedish nursing homes
Allowing staff and residents to manage the nursing home together and giving older persons the feeling that it is their own home, this is the basic idea of the Tubbemoddelen, an innovative bottom-up management model originally set up in the nursing homes of the municipality of Tjörn, Sweden. Inspired by the vision of the Danish […]
Online platform brings together hosting families for older dependent persons in France
CetteFamille.com is a French online platform bringing together 2000 hosting families across the country. Those families host older dependent persons who have chosen to live within a family instead of in a nursing home. They have to meet a series of requirements set by the French departments. This type of accommodation is twice to three […]
‘Maison Dahlia’ showcases possible home accommodations in old age
The Dahlia house in the Havre, France, is an educational exhibition house that has been adapted to foster independent living and well-being in old age. When ageing, we become less flexible, the balance is less safe and the risk of falling increases. This demonstration site, set up by the Central Social Activities Fund (CCAS), allows […]
