Education in Care and Technology; Development and Evaluation of a First Cohort of an International Master Course.

A report written as a personal communication based on the experience gathered by developing and delivery of a international professional master course. The organization of the curriculum consists of 16 modules. Using a framework of the user centered design and development cycle students receive domain knowledge related to user-orientation, business, innovation and implementation.

Education in care and technology, a facilitator of interdisciplinary research and development.

Objective: Application of technology in care is hindered by two factors; a critical attitude of care professionals towards the use of technology as part of care delivery and a lack of knowledge of care practice by technology developers. Technological developments may provide adequate solutions to support care provision. The principles of user centred design and development, traditionally used in the development of assistive technology, may provide powerful tools to support care provision.

Experiences of using a memory aid to structure and support daily activities in a small-scale group accommodation for people with dementia.

Background: Use of technology to structure and support the daily activities of the residents in a small-scale group accommodation (SSGA) for dementia is a new innovation in the Netherlands. This paper presents the process of development of this new way of structuring activities and the findings of a pilot study looking at the experiences of using this device in people with dementia.

Method: A qualitative method was chosen, data were collected using individual interviews with the residents (n = 6), focus groups interviews with informal carers (n = 5) and members of staff (n = 6).

Randomised controlled trial of unsolicited occupational therapy in community-dwelling elderly people: the LOTIS trial.

Objective: The objective of this trial, the Leiden 85-Plus Occupational Therapy Intervention Study (LOTIS), was to assess whether unsolicited occupational therapy, as compared to no therapy, can decelerate the increase in disability in high-risk elderly people.

Design: This was a randomised controlled trial with 2-y follow-up.

Setting: The study took place in the municipality of Leiden in the Netherlands.

Assistive devices and community-based services among 85-year-old community-dwelling elderly in The Netherlands: ownership, use, and need for intervention.

Objective: To assess the home-situation of the oldest old regarding the ownership, use, and need for intervention of assistive devices and community-based services.

Methods: A research nurse and an occupational therapist, who evaluated the current situation regarding ownership and use of assistive devices, visited a representative group of 147 Dutch community-dwelling 85-year-olds in their own homes. Furthermore, the occupational therapist assessed whether an intervention was indicated.