Healthcare experts concerned about quality long-term care in corona time | Inland

“Some healthcare institutions are already closed. There is a chance that in the second covid-19 wave the issues of the day will again undermine the quality of life of nursing home residents and their loved ones. That worries us. And we must prevent it ”, the initiators warn Minister Hugo de Jonge of Public Health.

The manifesto has been drawn up by, among others, professor of long-term care Anne-Mei The, chairman of the board of the Humanitas Gijsbert van Herk foundation, writer and program maker Hugo Borst (Thuis op Zuid), physician and philosopher Bert Keizer and Fatos Ipek, informal caregiver and founder of OMAZ.nu.

They come up with a plan in which person-oriented care and support are the starting point. Quality of life should always be the starting point. The prevention of health problems is part of quality of life, but can never be the only determining factor, according to the authors.

“It is about keeping the virus out, not locking up residents. Maximum creativity and customization are required for this. ”

Residents are fully-fledged discussion and decision partners. “Residents’ own direction and autonomy and dialogue with their loved ones are paramount. This requires fair information and transparency about considerations. “

Family members play an important role. Instead of banning them from the care organization, they should be involved in the considerations and decision-making, but also in the additional care demands that arise when the number of corona infections increases. The condition is that there are sufficient personal protective equipment and tests, also for visitors.

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