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University Network of Organisations for elderly care (UNO)

Objectives

UNO-VUMC wants to build a bridge between research and practice in long term elderly care (especially nursing home care).

Major aims are
  • to establish a collaboration between the department of nursing home medicine and organisations for long term elderly care,
  • to establish long term care model practices,
  • to establish evidence and practice based products for multidisciplinary care and to stimulate the exchange and dissemination
    of these products
  • to facilitate the education of physicians and others in long term care
  • to improve the standard of care in long term care

Collaborations

participants UNO:

Argos Zorggroep (Schiedam)
Aveant – Expertisecentrum (Utrecht)
Cordaan (Amsterdam)
Evean - Verpleeghuis Oostergouw (Zaandam)
Quarijn – Het Zonnehuis (Doorn)
Solis – PW Janssenverpleeghuis (Deventer)
Stichting Woonzorgcentra Westerkwartier – Zonnehuis (Zuidhorn)
Vivium Zorggroep - Verpleeghuis Naarderheem (Naarden)
Zonnehuisgroep Amstelland – Zonnehuis (Amstelveen)
Zorgbalans – Verpleeghuis Velserduin (Driehuis)
Zorgcombinatie Nieuwe Maas – Zonnehuis ( Vlaardingen)
Zorgcombinatie Zwolle – Zonnehuis (Zwolle)
Zorggroep Apeldoorn e.o. (Apeldoorn)
AMSTA Dr. Sarphatihuis (Amsterdam)
Sint Jacob verpleeghuis Boerhaave (Haarlem)
VIVA! Zorggroep (Velsen Noord eo)
Beweging 3.0 (Amersfoort eo).

Research partners:

- Nivel
- Clinical neuropsychology VU University Amsterdam
- UKON- Universitair Kennisnetwerk Ouderenzorg Nijmegen

Results

Organisation:
  • in all participating organisations a UNO-committee is installed which coordinates the activities in these organisations.
  • consensus has been achieved to centre the activities on 4 themes: Stroke, geriatric rehabilitation, mood & behaviour and organisation of care
  • donations of the participants and of VU university medical center has created a budget of + 150.000 euro per year.
 Patient care:
  • consensus has been achieved on measurement instruments for mobility
  • the project consensus on measurement instruments for cognitive impairment is almost finished
  • best practices in the organisations have been collected
 Research:
  • a cross-sectional study in long term stroke patients started in 2008 (researcher: Suzanne van Almenkerk)
  • a pilot-intervention for the healing of chronic ulcers with autologous skin transplant started in 2008 (Wilco Achterberg)
  • an intervention for pain and challenging behaviour in advanced dementia starts april 1st 2009 (researcher: Marjoleine Pieper)
  • a study on fear of falling in hip fracture patients started in 2008 (researcher: Jan Visschedijk)
 Education:
  • several courses on evidence based practice have been given, a.o. on clinimetrics and on critical appraisal of literature
  • yearly there is an exchange of outcomes and pitfalls of small-scale research projects
  • every year there is a congres around the central themes: 2007: stroke, 2008: mood & behaviour, 2009: geriatric rehabilitation
  • nursing home physicians of the organisations participate in training of physicians at the VUmc
  • several organisations generate opportunities for training of students in among others medicine and psychology

Contact information

Website: www.vumc.nl/uno

Head of the UNO: Wilco Achterberg wp.achterberg@vumc.nl
Coordinator of the UNO: Lizette Wattel l.wattel@vumc.nl

Adress
Universitair Netwerk Ouderenzorg (UNO-VUmc)
Afdeling Verpleeghuisgeneeskunde/ EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research,
VU Medisch Centrum
Van der Boechorststraat 7 kamer B544
1081 BT Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Telephone: +31 20-4449366