Fostering a healthy lifestyle: a team effort!
On this page:
Introduction
A healthy lifestyle is important for all of us, including people with an intellectual disability. The objective of the Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development (ZonMw) project ‘Fostering a healthy lifestyle: a team effort!’ (Ondersteunen gezonde leefstijl: de krachten gebundeld!) is to create an environment for these people that is conducive to healthy living.
To develop and maintain a healthy lifestyle, people with an intellectual disability depend on the support of professional carers and a physical and social environment that stimulates healthy living: a so-called ‘health-enhancing environment’.
Set of 3 projects
This research initiative comprises 3 subprojects:
1. Gathering information from people with intellectual disabilities and their professional carers about health, the importance of a healthy lifestyle and the contextual support needed
2. Developing a learning pathway for professional carers based on their input
3. Implementing and evaluating the learning pathway
Benefits to practice
This learning pathway, for use within teams of professional carers, will be available to healthcare organisations via the Dutch knowledge platform Kennisplein from 2021.
For more information:
• www.facebook.com/groups/krachtengebundeld
• Website Hanzehogeschool
About the researcher
What is your role within the Academic Collaborative Centre related to people with PIMD?
My research topic is lifestyle in people with a moderate to profound intellectual disability. My particular focus is on direct support professionals and the support that they can provide in the areas of nutrition and physical activity. During the research, we have already created a place for lifestyle in education of direct support professionals. In my role as knowledge broker for education I am going to expand this. In doing so, I focus on how we can create a place for the knowledge and expertise from the Academic Collaborative Centre into the education of professionals who work with people with
What do you hope to achieve?
People with PIMD have the right for a good life. Therefore, they need support, including from professionals. By embedding current knowledge and expertise from the Academic Collaborative Centre in education, I hope that professional will be better equipped to provide optimal support to people with PIMD and their loved ones.