Mark Spigt new chair RL Optimising Patient Care

Tim Welting and Paul Willems were both appointed professors in 2020. Quietly, as they have not yet been able to celebrate their inaugurations. After all, you can’t throw a party during a pandemic. But what you can do is give an online interview. Here, they talk about their work, their plans, and what drives them.

Maastricht researchers argue that urgent measures are needed to tackle loneliness in society. Aside from their mental welfare needs, people who suffer from severe or very severe loneliness incur 40 to 50 percent higher healthcare costs up to a year later compared to people who don’t feel lonely. The difference is greatest among young people aged between 19 and 40.

The successful partnership the Living Lab in Ageing & Long-Term Care, initiated by Maastricht University, is being expanded. Having been joined by care organisations De Zorggroep, Proteion and Stichting Land van Horne in north and central Limburg, the partnership now covers the entire province.