Prof. dr. Myrra Vernooij-Dassen

Prof.dr. M. Vernooij-Dassen

Professor of psychological aspects of care for frail elderly persons

+31 (0) 24 81 86464
Myrra.Vernooij-Dassen@radboudumc.nl
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Prof. Myrra Vernooij-Dassen is emeritus professor of psychological aspects of care for frail elderly persons and principal investigator at IQ healthcare. She is a former director of the Radboud Alzheimer Centre. Her chair was affiliated with the Kalorama Foundation (an organisation which houses a residential care home, two nursing homes, a centre for the deaf blind as well as a hospice). She is chair of Interdem, a pan-European network of researchers on early detection and psycho-social interventions in dementia and an honorary visiting professor at the Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta. She is also an honorary visiting professor of the School of Health at Bradford University, UK. She is a member of several committees, such as the Scientific Advisory Board of the European Joint Programming Initiative for Neurodegenerative Diseases (JPND), the Funding board Alzheimer’s Society  (chair) and of the strategic advisory board ZZG care group. Moreover, she is an officer in the Order of Orange Nassau.

Her research line is important in that it contributes to an answer to the question what type of care works and how care works. From a theoretical point of view it is stressed that interventions will be more effective if the patient is approached not just as the receiving party but as the giving party as well. Personal needs for care should also be taken into account.  This does not necessarily need to be a great amount of care. Quite the reverse: it turns out that care is much more effective when the existing abilities of the patient are used and their dignity has not been affected by the care provided. Standard methodology needs to be adapted to the concept of personalised care. Researchers are working at this on an international level.

The research is practice-based and makes an important (inter)national contribution in size and quality to the development, evaluation and implementation of psychosocial interventions as well as integrated care. Clinical themes are dementia and palliative care. Key themes are personalised care and social health. Important aspects in these themes are partnership with patients and family, shared decision making and culture of care.

Publications M. Vernooij-Dassen