Person-centred integrated care? Looking beyond contemporary needs, wishes and goals. A workshop on the importance of working from a life course perspective in caring neighbourhoods.
Authors: Goossens Stefan , Guiette Julie , De Donder Liesbeth , Dormaels Mikis , Vanbellinghen Ariane , Dikmans Bas 
Published: January 2024

Background: The importance of a life course perspective is often not taken into account when detecting the needs, wishes and goals of older adults. Research and practice to date has tended to focus on the 'now'. However, adapting a life-course perspective in person-centred care and caring neighbourhoods could enrich and deepen our understanding of current needs, wishes and goals.

Aim: The aim of this workshop is to give insight into the use of a life-course approach in relation to research and practice on person-centred integrated care and caring neighbourhoods. It aims to enthuse participants in using a life-course approach in their future academic and professional work.

Participants: This workshop is important for a variety of actors: researchers, practitioners, politicians, older adults. Experience with the subject is not mandatory. The presence of a diverse group enriches our discussions and reflections.

Methods:

1.Introduction: The presentation will start with some questions toward the participants. The answers will lead to a presentation of 5 minutes on the use of a life course approach in relation to person-centred integrated care and caring neighbourhoods. (10min)

2.Inspirational presentations: Four examples will be given of how a life-course approach can be used throughout 4 different themes: housing, civic engagement, care and the neighbourhood. Presentations will be interactive. (40min)

Ariane Vanbellinghen studies housing and wellbeing through the life-course of older adults. Housing is an essential part in caring neighbourhoods, especially for older adults, where there is often a certain resistance to remodel their current home or relocate.

Bas Dikmans focuses on civic engagement of older adults in disadvantaged neighbourhoods, making use of a life course perspective in his research to see how life events facilitate or pose obstacles to civic engagement in later life.

 

Mikis Dormaels is a life story writer with the senior care team, part of the Center for Mental Health in Brussels. In 2010, "narrative care" as a treatment method was developed and offered to older people in a vulnerable position.

Liesbeth De Donder will open the discussion on how to include neighbourhood life stories, as an addition to individual stories, when developing caring neighbourhoods.

3.Round tables: exercises on using a life-course approach (30 min)

4 workshops will be organised. Participants are free to choose which workshop to attend: 1) housing through the life-course, 2) civic engagement through the life-course, 3) narrative care: life stories in mental care and 4) life stories as a neighbourhood mapping tool. 

We will interact with the audience trough specific exercises on using a specific method, what the benefits and challenges of the method are, how they can integrate it in their own context. Together with the group input, feedback, and own experiences, among others, knowledge will be co-created.

Closing: Plenary reflection and summary (10 min)

In a plenary session, all the main findings that were collected through the workshop will be shared and a representative of each workshop will summarise the key-messages to take home.