By Anne Kolmans – 15-02-2024  Every quarter one consortium member interviews another consortium member to get to know each other member and help us to get to know the people behind the project. Following the first interview, during which Anne Kolmans (PhD in WP4) was interviewed, she in her turn has a Q&A with Dirk Steijger (PhD in WP3). Who is Dirk? Could you tell us something about your background and the organization you work for?  “I am 31 years old and live in Tilburg. I first pursued a bachelor’s degree in Pharmaceutical Business Administration at Utrecht University of Applied…

By Teuni Wolters (Alzheimer Nederland) & Karlijn van Rijen (QoLEAD) – 15-02-2024  On the 8th of February, more than 40 researchers spread across the country travelled to the Social Impact Factory – what’s in a name – for the DEMPACT kick-off. On behalf of QoLEAD, on this day referred to as ‘the project with AI and dementia’, Wijnand IJsselsteijn, scientific project coordinator, Hans Arnold, project manager and Karlijn van Rijen, impact manager, were present.  DEMPACT (dementia and impact) is a project that aims to increase the social impact of dementia research by increasing the usage of knowledge and products from…

Each newsletter will feature a microlearning: a short and quick learning activity with insights from our project partners. The micro-learnings will cover lessons from AI, care practice, design insights and more.

This first microlearning was provided by Vilans’ Henk Herman Nap and Dirk Lukkien, and tells us the three key insights for our QoLEAD community following from their recently published whitepaper ‘Wat gaat AI betekenen voor de ouderenzorg’:

SVRZ, a leading care organization in Zeeland, is teaming up with the academia in the QoLEAD project. They offer care and rehab for elderly, including those with dementia. SVRZ is working hard to connect academic ideas with real-world care challenges, hoping to put the latest knowledge into practice faster. Teis Arets, PhD candidate in QoLEAD, did an internship past summer with SVRZ to better understand the daily challenges caregivers face with people with dementia.

Read more about SVRZ’s perspectives on the project and how they experienced having an academic over in their care practice…

Anne Kolmans is one of the PhD’s working in QoLEAD. Teis Arets, a fellow PhD, interviewed her for this newsitem.

In this interview, Anne shares her journey from psychology to robotics and ultimately her PhD research at Radboud UMC about the social connectedness of people with dementia. Special is Anne’s early experience in elderly care, with a mother working in a nursing home: “we helped with bingo, delivering meals, and for example at Christmas celebrations”.

Anne’s research focuses on co-designing AI with people with dementia to improve social relationships. Her advice to fellow researchers: really get to know your target group.

Join Hannah Christie, postdoctoral researcher at Alzheimer Center Limburg, who is taking us with her in the recent Yearly Consortium Meeting on 18-9 in Eindhoven. The day, featuring presentations by Arlene Astell and Rens Brankaert, showcased challenges in technology-based dementia projects and emphasized practical co-design strategies. The meeting highlighted the significance of involving stakeholders and navigating industry collaborations in AI-driven dementia research. The gathering reflects QoLEAD’s ongoing commitment to advancing person-centered dementia care.