The Local Organizing Committee is very happy to offer registered
participants a unique opportunity to visit Dutch palliative care
institutions.
On Thursday, April 3 and Friday, April 4, small groups of participants
are offered the opportunity to see Dutch palliative care in practice,
such as:
Hospices, Almost Home Houses, Palliative care units in homes for
the elderly, Nursing homes and Hospitals which will offer you a
program at their own location.
The purpose of the site visits is as follows:
- To inform participants about standards and developments
in palliative care in
The Netherlands.
- To offer "on the spot" workshops about a special
theme, offering the unique possibility to informally exchange experiences
between professionals. The theme for this seminar is: "How
much palliative care does a society need?"
Dinner and a social / cultural program are also part of the site
visits. These visits are organized with financial help from the
Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sports. Many palliative care institutions
and organizations have made great efforts to welcome you!
In recent years, palliative care has made great progress in The
Netherlands; because of this, we are very happy to give you the
opportunity to visit the broad range of palliative care facilities
in practice.
Additionally, you can visit with palliative consultation teams.
On Thursday, April 3 and Friday, April 4 at 13:00 hours, buses will
transport you from the Congress Centre to the various site locations,
located throughout the country. At each site location, you will
be informed how palliative care is organized in The Netherlands.
The Dutch government emphasizes the importance of being part of
local "networks", where care givers and care facilities
work together. While visiting these sites you will also learn more
about the concept of forming "networks". You will also
have the opportunity to meet with Dutch colleagues and professionals
and exchange experiences in an informal setting.
In some cases a combination of multiple site locations needs to be made.
In order to match your interests as much as possible you can choose
among the listed options. Please indicate your first, second and
third choice on the registration
form. We will make every effort to confirm At around 21:00 you
will be back in The Hague. The number of participants to these site
visits will be very limited and we suggest that you register as
early as possible. This is offered on a "first-come first-served
basis"
i.e. We will make every effort to confirm your first preference
| 1. |
"Almost Home" Houses
"Almost Home " houses are small scale facilities with
four to six beds. The houses offer basic care for people with
no complex medical situations and do not employ their own medical
staff but work with specially trained volunteers. Typically,
these volunteers are part of the National Organization of Volunteers
for Terminal Care. The residents are under the care of their
own General Practitioner. Nursing care is given by "home
care". When visiting an "Almost Home" house you
can meet and learn more about volunteers, home care nurses,
general practitioners and volunteer coordinators.
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| 2. |
Volunteers Terminal Care
When the care at home becomes too difficult, volunteers can
offer help in the home. This form of support is additional to
that of family, friends and the formal care. Duties for these
volunteers consist of listening to the patient, close family
and accompanying the dying. The most important motivation for
these volunteers is to be there for the other! You can meet
these volunteers at several locations.
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| 3. |
Hospices
Hospices are independent facilities where patients are admitted
that have complex medical, nursing or social problematic situations.
The admitting capacity is five to ten beds for permanent or
temporary placement. Hospices have their own nursing, paramedical
and medical staff, supported by specially trained volunteers.
While visiting a hospice you will meet members of the multiple-disciplinary
team such as nurses, physicians, social workers, pastoral workers
and volunteers.
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| 4. |
Palliative Care Unit at a Home for the Elderly
Within a home for the elderly the residents live in their own
apartments. Basic care is being offered. The home employs caregivers
and nurses. The general practitioner has the final responsibility
for medical care. There are several homes for the elderly in
The Netherlands with a separate palliative unit. A palliative
unit consists of several apartments especially kept for palliative
patients with basic medical problematic situations. Typically
patients from outside the home are admitted. Admittance to a
unit offers a temporal alternative to the home situation. While
visiting the palliative unit of the home for the elderly, you
can meet care givers, nurses, unit coordinators and volunteers.
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| 5. |
Palliative Care Unit at a Nursing Home
In recent years several nursing homes have started with separate
units for the palliative care. These units consist of five to
ten single patient rooms. Patients with more complex problematic
situations from outside the nursing home are admitted to these
units. Typical for a nursing home is the availability of a multiple-disciplinary
team consisting of nurses, caregivers, nursing home physicians,
social workers, psychologists, physiotherapists, ergotherapists,
pastoral workers and volunteers. You will be able to meet with
these caregivers during your site visit.
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| 6. |
Palliative care at the Hospital
In the last couple of years more emphasis for the palliative
care has also been given within the Dutch hospitals. During
the site visits you can visit hospitals with specialized palliative
care units or hospitals that are involved in palliative care
through consultation teams or as network participants. While
visiting a hospital you will meet professionals in palliative
care such as medical specialists (internist oncologist), nurses
and members of consultation teams.
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| 7. |
Palliative Consultation Teams
In recent years many possibilities for the consultation in the
area of palliative care have been created in the Netherlands.
The exchange of knowledge and experience, the support and consultation
to other professionals is central. Consultation teams in general
consist of a physician (nursing home physician and / or medical
specialist) and one or more specialized nurses. Other disciplines
can also be part of the team such as spiritual caregivers, psychologists,
social workers, etc. The consultation teams do vary: Some teams
only consult via telephone, while other teams also visits the
patient at his or her bedside. While visiting a consultation
team you can meet several team members.
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The site visits are only open to foreign registered participants
(not Dutch participants).
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