Visiting Belgium for new insights into person-centered care
In the context of the European project NEAR Belgian partner IGEMO welcomes delegations from all corners of Europe for the 4th partner meeting and study visit. “Our Finnish, Italian, Spanish and Czech partners and stakeholders learn from countless initiatives throughout Rivierenland how we focus on person-centered care. We try to inform and inspire by showing the best of ourselves.” says Koen Huyberechts of IGEMO.
Project NEAR is running at full speed. This translates into a busy agenda during the visit from the 14th of October until October 17 with Mechelen as base camp for the entire region. The delegation visits general hospital AZ Sint-Maarten in Mechelen with, among other things, an explanation about its general operations and Leen van Brussel, who, from her role within the expertise center for compassionate communities (COCO), further discusses a more aware society in which communities have the capacity and knowledge to provide care. to their members in times of serious (mental or physical) illness, death, dying and loss.
The University Psychiatric Center in Duffel and Residential Care Center Ten Kerselaere in Heist-op-den-Berg are also providing information with numerous initiatives. The partners' study visit will conclude on Thursday with a presentation about, among other things, the 'Born in Belgium' project at the CAW Rivierenland vzw. This project centralizes GDPR-compliant information about the psychosocial situation of pregnant women for care providers via an online platform. This makes it possible to provide personalized care for the target group.
“It is a very full program,” agrees Itziar Herrero Larrea, who represents the regional government of Navarra as lead partner of the project. “But it gives us a very good idea of the many initiatives that are organized in this region and in Belgium. We will return home on Thursday with an experience-filled backpack.”
(The NEAR project aims to improve regional development policies in the field of "family and community-centered care". “The aim is to support regions in developing or refining their care models for citizens. This entails a shift from an expert-oriented approach to an approach of guidance, support, direction and motivation, allowing citizens to fulfill new roles. This project and the partner meeting is funded by European Union's INTERREG Europe programme and started in March 2023, ending in 2027.)