Person-centred care is widely recognized as the gold standard for promoting quality of life and well-being among people living with dementia.
To implement person-centred care effectively and efficiently, it is essential that future professionals are adequately prepared for this. Health and social care education programmes have the responsibility to equip students with the necessary knowledge and skills, and to support them in developing and mastering the competencies related to person-centred care.
The project “Person-Centred Education in Practice” (PEP project) therefore focuses on two key concepts within Flemish health and social care education programmes: dementia and person-centred care.
The project aimed to:
- assess the extent to which these topics are currently integrated into health and social care education programmes;
- identify the barriers educators may experience when further integrating these topics into curricula and courses;
- provide strategies and practical guidance to help overcome these barriers.
The findings of the PEP project have been summarized in the report available below. The project consisted of several sub-studies employing a range of research methods. These sub-studies are described in more detail at the end of the report.
This research project is conducted by the VUB research groups Mental Health and Wellbeing (MENT) and Frailty and Resilience in Ageing (FRIA), together with the Master's programme 'Management, Care and Policy in Gerontology'. The study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and is funded by the StopAlzheimer foundation.
The research is carried out by Ine Declercq, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Patricia De Vriendt (patricia.de.vriendt@vub.be).