Petra Boersma winner of “Wij Inholland Research award”

Published on July 10th 2018 – With her research into the Veder Contact Method, Petra Boersma won the “Wij Inholland award” in the category Research. On 27 June she received the award and accompanying check of € 5.000, – by Huug de Deugd, chairman of the jury and member of the Executive Board of Inholland University of Applied Sciences. Petra Boersma’s completed PhD study focuses on communication in dementia care. The Veder Contact Method uses theatrical, musical and poetic communication. Together with the Department of Psychiatry of the VU University Medical Center and the Amsterdam School of Communication Research/ASCoR of the University of Amsterdam, Petra Boersma, who was connected with the research group GGZ Nursing at Inholland during her PhD, researched the implementation of theatrical communication in contact with people with dementia. The study shows that the Veder contact method is easy to implement, does not cost extra time and can be used 24/7. In four steps reciprocal contact is stimulated by using theatrical, poetic and musical communication. As a result, people with dementia perceive improved recognition, self-esteem and, consequently, well-being. The method also helped caregivers to better deal with residents with dementia.

According to the jury, this is a classic implementation study that is well-balanced. The research has been carried out in a proper manner, with collaborations between various universities. One of the main strengths of the study is the impact on both education and the professional field. The jury particularly recognized that the Veder Contact Method is a ‘small’ intervention that has a lot of impact. Since the improved professionalisation of a relatively small part of daily nursing home life resulted in major effects, the research has great societal value.

This PhD study was supervised by prof. dr. Rose-Marie Dröes (VUmc), prof. dr. Julia van Weert (UvA) and prof. dr. Berno van Meijel (Inholland).

Link to film about the Veder Contact Method study: https://youtu.be/QOtEOpOkfxE

Link to dissertation: click here