My UM
My UM
Search

Better quality of life in care for older people

Nice to meet you: Hilde Verbeek

How can we improve quality of life for older people who require long-term care? This is the focus of Hilde Verbeek’s research within CAPHRI. As a professor and chair of the Living Lab Ageing and Long-Term Care Limburg, she teaches and develops new living concepts as alternatives to traditional nursing home care. Hilde: “I would like to show how beautiful it is to support people in the final stage of life.”

Hilde studied neuropsychology at Maastricht University (UM). “I was the first woman in my family to attend university,” she explains. “After that, I completed my PhD at CAPHRI. From there I found my way into academia. I also spent time as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Manchester. Now I have been working at UM for quite a while, and I really enjoy it. The university means a lot to the region, and I am proud to be a part of that. For the past year, I have been chair of the Living Lab Ageing and Long-Term Care. This is a partnership between nine major care organisations, two vocational colleges (MBOs), a university of applied sciences (HBO), and UM. Since 2020 I have also been professor of care environments for older people at CAPHRI.”

Living arrangements

Research, teaching, and societal impact are the pillars of Hilde’s work. “Our Living Lab is focused on improving quality of life for older people who need long-term care,” she says. “We also aim to enhance the quality of care and working conditions for staff in that sector. Around fifty researchers are involved in various projects. My own research looks at living arrangements. How can you design these, and how do they impact the people who live and work there? I also develop new residential care concepts as alternatives to traditional nursing homes, such as care farms. In addition, we work closely with key stakeholders in the care sector, including policy makers, health insurers, the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, and national housing associations. Sometimes they give us guest lectures, or our students go there to work on assignments.”

Ecosystem

The researchers at the Living Lab also develop other concrete products. “One example is Reablement,” Hilde says. “This focuses on helping older people regain independence, so they become less reliant on others. We created training programmes, for example for home care workers, to empower older people more. These will be taught by teachers from Zuyd University of Applied Sciences, Vista and Gilde. Another initiative is the Accent project, where people take on dual roles in care, education, and research. For instance, a care worker might also work with us as a research assistant. This helps us improve the ecosystem and stimulate knowledge development.”

Everyone brings a piece of the puzzle, and I really enjoy combining that and building on each other’s knowledge and skills.

Education

Hilde is also involved in education. “I coordinate a course in the Health Sciences bachelor’s programme and supervise both bachelor’s and master’s theses,” she says. “Through the Living Lab, we also work with MBOs and HBOs, bringing research outcomes into their curricula. Our teaching and research are closely linked to our societal partners, such as insurers and organisations for citizens and older people.”

Stigma

What does Hilde like most about her field? “The interdisciplinary nature,” she says. “It means looking beyond your own area of expertise. Everyone brings a piece of the puzzle, and I really enjoy combining that and building on each other’s knowledge and skills. There are so many aspects to the lives of older people. You need to understand architecture, social geography, psychology, health sciences, law... That makes the work incredibly diverse and interesting. Furthermore, I think there is still a stigma in society around ageing. I really want to challenge that and show how beautiful it is to support people in the final stage of life.”

Food and drinks

In her spare time, Hilde enjoys spending time with her family. “I have two sons, aged seven and ten, and I love playing football with them,” she says. “I also try to do sports every now and then, for example mountain biking. Furthermore, I really enjoy food and drinks, in every way. I love eating at home or going out for a nice meal with others.”

Want to learn more about Hilde’s work? Watch the Science Story video on her research into green care farms.

 

Tekst: Joëlle van Wissen

Did you enjoy reading this article? Follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn for more.

Also read