‘Nursing home care at home works well’
Medical science is booming. New medicines, treatments and insights are added every year. But which ones will really make the difference? We asked five doctors who specialize in
cancer, cardiac surgery, migraine, COPD and geriatric medicine. What are they looking forward to in 2019?
Geriatric medicine specialist Ester Bertholet (46) helps people at home who might otherwise have been admitted to a nursing home. She has a practice in Arnhem and Velp.
‘Nursing home care at home works well’
Living independently is suddenly no longer possible: many people end up in that situation after a fall or hospitalization. But moving to a nursing home is not always necessary and can sometimes be delayed. For example, for a few years now there have been specialists in geriatric medicine who help to arrange everything better at home. The good news: the cabinet has released 6 million euros to deploy these doctors more.
Physicians with this specialty previously only worked in nursing homes, but now they are increasingly working for people who live at home. Ester Bertholet is one of the first doctors to do this in an independent practice, in collaboration with the general practitioner and other care providers in the district.
Bertholet: “We are there for people who have difficulties with their daily activities at home. We always make a home visit first to get to know our patients well. We ask about their wishes and needs. This way we can offer tailor-made assistance. And that works. It is important to bear in mind that solutions do not always correspond to what is best for the elderly themselves. For example, an elderly patient had lost his partner and was unable to cook for himself. You can then arrange a meal service or, in extreme cases, a dietician. But a healthy meal is far from the only thing someone needs.”
In Bertholet’s view, social contact and meaning is the most important thing for people whose health and fitness are declining. “Many elderly people are afraid of being considered ‘difficult’. They do not always dare to ask their loved ones for help and they lose touch with the world. If relatives and friends live far away, you can build a network in the area. In Velp, we recently set up Ons Raadhuis. In the middle of the village, anyone who needs it can go for a fun activity, a snack or a chat. Everyone who comes there is revived.”
This article originally appeared in Plus Magazine January 2019. Not yet a Plus Magazine subscriber? Becoming a subscriber is done in no time!
Sources):
- Plus Magazine
