Toolkit should help caregivers build connections with older people

Thursday 11 May 2023 - The international Erasmus+ project SEE ME, coordinated by the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), has developed a practical toolkit that teaches professionals, carers and volunteers to see the person behind an older person in need of care. Older people have dreams, talents and wishes separate from their care needs. By actively involving older people, SEE ME aims to improve the quality of care and services they receive. When you think of older people, how do you picture them? Do you see them as people with skills, ideas and stories? Or just as people who need care and are dependent on others? Unfortunately, that second image is still too prevalent in healthcare. In society, the focus is mainly on their medical and support needs. The SEE ME project aims to promote the social inclusion of older people in society by addressing stereotypes and teaching caregivers how to recognise their talents and social needs. SEE ME has developed a free toolkit for anyone who works with older people: professionals in residential care centres or home care settings, informal carers and volunteers in neighbourhood projects or associations.