Tools are not only of great importance for supporting and improving the self-reliance of residents, but also for the quality of life and participation in society. With the right aids, people who experience limitations in daily life can also continue to live independently at home for longer. They are also needed to meet the growing demand for care. A lot of care can take place at home through the use of aids. The Academic Workshop investigates how resources can be used smarter, more effectively and more efficiently in the home situation.

In practice, there are many problems with the use of resources. For example, little is known about the quality, effectiveness and efficiency of many aids. Residents and healthcare professionals also have relatively little knowledge about which tools are available and how they can be used. In addition, the process of provision is often complicated. Another problem is that tools are often personal; what is a good solution for one person may have no added value for another. And finally, the reimbursement of an aid differs per municipality and/or health insurer. These problems mean that there is still much room for improvement in the proper use of resources. The Academic Workshop is committed to bundling the use, knowledge and developments in the field of home technology.

Goal Academic Workshop

Ideas, plans and policy are made and devised in the Academic Workshop. The aim of the Academic Workshop is to get a clearer picture of:

the way residents in the Haaglanden region think about the use of resources;
what experiences residents have with aids;
what experience residents have with its provision;
to what extent and how inhabitants use aids;
what ideas residents have about possible improvements for policy and practice;
and what other aspects residents consider important.

Researchers, students, municipal officials and policy officers are jointly investigating how needs assessment, choice and provision can be improved. The focus is on tools for residents to support daily functioning.

Cooperation

The Academic Workshop is intended to promote a solid knowledge and research infrastructure for care technology for the home. We do this together with a large number of healthcare parties, user organizations and educational and knowledge institutions in The Hague.

The education and training of users and healthcare professionals are given shape with the healthcare parties Basalt, T-zorg, Pieter van Foreest and Saffier. They also ensure the dissemination of the research results.

Together with the healthcare parties, the municipality of The Hague ensures that projects are well aligned with the reality of healthcare. In addition, they are jointly responsible for recording and implementing the research results.

Duration

This project started on June 15, 2022 and the duration is 72 months (6 years). At the start of the Academic Workplace, a number of projects were defined that will be carried out. We will develop this further in the coming months. In addition, other issues may arise from parties within the Academic Workshop or the Living Lab Social Domain and Technology are going to be carried out.