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Optimizing the mentaL health and resiliencE of older Adults that haVe lost thEir spouSe via blended, online therapy (LEAVES)

Projectomschrijving

LEAVES: hulp bij rouw na verlies van een partner

Het overkomt veel ouderen: het verlies van een partner. Veel ouderen kunnen goed omgaan met dit verlies, maar anderen hebben er moeite mee. Dit kan leiden tot ‘verlengde rouw’, wat op haar beurt weer kan leiden tot gezondheidsproblemen als slechte slaap, hart- en vaatproblemen of depressie.

Hoe het werkt

Het LEAVES-project ontwikkelt een online service die ouderen helpt het verlies van hun partner te verwerken. Een virtuele hulpverlener geeft uitleg, biedt oefeningen aan en laat de gebruiker reflecteren op het voorbije leven met de overleden persoon. De applicatie ‘Before you leave’ helpt hierbij door herinneringen aan de partner vast te leggen. De virtuele hulpverlener let ook op eventuele complicaties en verslechtering van de emotionele toestand van de oudere. Al deze online ondersteuning kan worden gecombineerd met contact met een ‘echte’ hulpverlener.

Wat het oplevert

Het helpen omgaan met deze ‘verlengde rouw’ – waarbij ouderen zes maanden na het verlies nog ingrijpende effecten ervaren – kan niet alleen gezondheidsproblemen en sociaal isolement bij ouderen voorkomen. Ook naasten kunnen verminderde stress en onrust ervaren als de achterblijver goed wordt geholpen in zijn of haar rouw.

Voor wie

Voor ouderen die een partner hebben verloren en last hebben van een ‘verlengde rouw’. En voor naasten en professionals die deze mensen bijstaan.

Verslagen


Samenvatting van de aanvraag

Loss of a spouse is a frequent occurrence in later life. While most older adults successfully process this loss and will return to a normal life, a significant proportion (25,4%) is unable to do this. They end up with prolonged grief (PG), a condition where grief symptoms occur longer than 6 months after the loss, and which can result in many mental and physical problems, like poor sleep, cardiovascular problems, depression, loneliness and suicidal tendencies. In order to prevent PG or to treat it, so that older mourners can lead an active, meaningful and dignified life, we will develop an online grief program: LEAVES. LEAVES will cater to secondary end-users (family, informal caregivers) by reducing stress. Older adults, informal caregivers and relevant care professionals (total n = 110) will, together with the project team, develop the LEAVES service model, and, through iterative design and development, will optimize its usability and user experience. LEAVES helps older adults to process the loss of a spouse in an empathic and caring online environment, which consists of the online grief program Livia (TRL-7), the Before You Leave program that allows for storing personal memories (TRL-9), RRD’s virtual agent platform (TRL-7) and accessible front-end design. It can detect persons at risk for complications and can uncover negative trends in their emotional life and will act to counter this trend. The service relies on online treatment if possible but will be blended with telephone or face-to-face counselling when necessary. The LEAVES service softens the mourning process, prevents depression or social isolation, strengthens widow(er)s resilience and wellbeing, and quickens a return to societal participation. An initial business case turns out highly positive, with a benefit/cost ratio of 11.66. The LEAVES consortium covers three countries (NL, PT and CH), and includes lead users and exploitation partners from each country. The development of the LEAVES business model is a collaborative effort, guided by a research partner, specialised in developing innovative economic models for health. Exploitation is led by a highly experienced SME in Portugal and a large company in the Netherlands; whereby national exploitation routes are foreseen to implement the tailored service models throughout Europe. As such, a highly multidisciplinary team will be working towards successful exploitation (SME’s, undertakers, elderly associations, mental healthcare providers). The project will include a real-life evaluation in which 315 end-users will use the service in 3 countries. The evaluation will focus on clinical effect, business case development, and technology acceptance. These results will pave the way for smooth integration in existing care paths and reimbursement schemes. After the project, the lead users in each country will exploit the service. Scaling up technology, shared marketing & sales services and a back office will be established to first introduce the LEAVES grief service throughout NL, PT and CH. Afterwards other countries and other mental health problems for older adults will be included. The dissemination plan follows yearly goals: 1) creating awareness about the concept, 2) creating involvement, and 3) facilitating exploitation. Dissemination will be monitored throughout the project with quantifiable KPI’s. Target groups that are foreseen are end-users, potential lead users, the business community, researchers, and the general public.

Onderwerpen

Kenmerken

Projectnummer:
735190002
Looptijd: 100%
Looptijd: 100 %
2020
2023
Onderdeel van programma:
Gerelateerde subsidieronde:
Projectleider en penvoerder:
Jansen-Kosterink
Verantwoordelijke organisatie:
Roessingh Research and Development