Hilde Verbeek appointed as professor of ‘Care environment for Vulnerable Elderly’

Our valued member of the INTERDEM website committee has been appointed as professor of Care Environment for Vulnerable Elderly at Maastricht University on 1 February 2020. On 9 July 2021, Prof. Dr. Hilde Verbeek delivered her inaugural lecture ‘A house, a home? How the care environment contributes to the daily lives of frail older people’.

The objective of the chair is to improve the development and dissemination of knowledge in the field of quality of life, care and work in elder care; to contribute to the application of this knowledge in education (from intermediate vocational education to university) and to strengthen the social significance of scientific research.

As a professor, Hilde Verbeek will set up research into innovation in the care environment for vulnerable elderly people, in particular nursing home care, and its contribution to a meaningful existence. As she said “A house is not automatically a home, although the latter should be the goal of everyone regardless of regardless of your need for help”. Hilde will study how different forms of housing with care contribute to a dignified life for the elderly. Values ​​such as autonomy, maintaining one’s own identity and meaningful activities form the basis for care provision and support.

We wish Hilde all the best in her new function!

Fania Dassen & Franka Meiland Note: her inaugural lecture (in Dutch) can be read here.