optimizing the mentaL health and resiliencE of older Adults that haVe lost thEir spouSe via blended, online therapy
TEAM
Leaves is bringing together parties from the Netherlands, Portugal and Switzerland, with different fields of expertise including researchers, health care professionals and design and technology professionals
ROESSINGH RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (RRD)
Roessingh Research and Development (RRD) is a research and development SME in the area of rehabilitation technology and telemedicine. The mission of RRD is to carry out scientific research and contribute to its commercialization and implementation in clinical practice. The rationale of RRD is to develop innovations in a multidisciplinary team and in close collaboration with all stakeholders (patients, informal and formal caregivers, academia, health care organizations and industry). RRD’s technology innovations include its own service platform that enables multimodal monitoring and coaching of physical and mental health – including a virtual agent that guides the user through the care path. RRD is experienced in AAL projects, namely IS-ACTIVE, PEARL, SALSA and SOULMATE. Results of such research projects have been transferred to the market by means of spin-off companies and are being used extensively in clinical practice.
Lex van Velsen
Project coordinator
Manager eHealth cluster, PhD in Technical Communication
Lena Brandl
PhD candidate / Personalization of the LEAVES platform
Junior Researcher, MSc. in Human Computer Interaction
Brigitte Benerink
Administrative support
Project management assistant
Vera Bulsink
Leader of WP2: technology development
Senior researcher, PhD in Biomedical Engineering
Andreea Bondrea
UI Designer
UI Designer
Interactive Media & Fine Arts
Dennis Hofs
Software Developer
MSc. in Computer Science
NATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR THE ELDERLY
The National Foundation for the Elderly (NFE) is a wellbeing organization that promotes quality of life for older persons in the Netherlands. The primary focus of NFE is on preventing isolation. NFE supports seniors through meaningful projects and services that: Improve social inclusion and improve empowerment of older people and their self-reliance. The NFE has a large network of activity centres across the Netherlands that organizes activities for seniors that are at risk of exclusion. These activities range from sports, shopping, summer days on the beach, Christmas dinners and knitting clubs, increasing social contacts in a concrete and simple manner. NFE organizes national campaigns and organizes training and networking sessions between care professionals to raise awareness and interchange best practices. The NFE works as a trusted intermediary between private and public services and older persons, helping seniors to find the path towards support and care, creating an extensive knowledge base for research and innovation. The NFE participates in European projects with the main objective to promote wellbeing of older persons. NFE reaches directly 35.000 older persons through its services and projects for older persons in the Netherlands. It has experience in user-centred innovation and iterative processes of development with the active involvement of older persons in focus groups, interviews and pilot trials. It uses its large network of local welfare organizations to disseminate and leverage results of research projects into society.
Lotte Schokking
Leader WP1: Iterative Design Project leader Innovation
MA Arts, Policy and Cultural Entrepreneurship
Eva Siderakis
Innovator and Qualitative Researcher
MSc Communication Sciences
UNIVERSITY OF BERN
The Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy of the University of Bern has a long expertise in developing and evaluating internet-based self-help interventions for prolonged grief, loneliness, anxiety, mood disorders or self-compassion. The outpatient clinic is an internationally recognised institution for psychotherapy, psychotherapy research and training and provides individually tailored treatment for all mental disorders in different settings including couple and family therapy.
Bettina Mooser
Clinical researcher; psychotherapist
MSc in Clinical Psychology, psychotherapist in training
Jeannette Brodbeck
Leader WP3: Real-life evaluation; psychotherapist
PhD in Clinical Psychology, MAS in Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy
SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK, UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES AND ARTS, OLTEN
The School of Social Work focuses on social innovations and develops practical solutions to tackle social problems and challenges with a focus on digitalization. The Institute of Counselling, Coaching and Social Management specializes in counselling and coaching processes, shapes professional practice and advises practitioners. Important expert areas are the development and evaluation of online self-help interventions for coping with life events and blended counselling.
Sarah Madörin
Researcher
MA in Sociology and Gender Studies
Jeannette Brodbeck
Leader WP3: Real-life evaluation; psychotherapist
PhD in Clinical Psychology, MAS in Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy
Sofia Jacinto Braga
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MSc Clinical Psychology, PhD in Social Psychology (ISCTE-IUL, Indiana University)
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DELA NATURA- EN LEVENSVERZEKERINGEN N.V.
DELA Coöperatie UA is an international insurer and funeral organiser active in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. It insures more than four million people and is characterised by a cooperative model, with members being the collective owners.
Insuring and caring
DELA was founded more than 80 years ago to ensure a dignified and worthy farewell for its members by insuring and organising funerals. Since our inception, DELA has focused on offering security, care and continuity.
DELA stands for: Carrying each other’s burden. A feeling of solidarity. Standing strong together. Sharing and making joint decisions. Connecting generations. And being there in the moments that matter most… For each other.
Mandy Verdam
Markting innovation, business modelling and exploitation.
Innovation Manager a.i. at DELA
Markting Management.
Business owner/consultant in Digital Markting
NOTHING
Nothing, a Swiss venture lab, focuses on what makes humans thrive. It was founded with the goal to align design, business and technology with real human needs. The team consists of experienced consultants, designers, developers and creatives who come together to create digital products which provide value for humans. With proven expertise in information architecture, interface design and frontend engineering, the company also specializes in user research. Through interviews and prototype testing, the designers identify the actual needs of the end user are integrates them into an iterative design process to create the right product for LEAVES.
Bengiamin Barblan
Project coordinator and Service Designer
Designer with a computer engineering background
Bastiaan van Rooden
Strategy consultant
Designer turned strategist. Background in liberal arts
Andreas Moesch
UI Designer
Interaction Designer
Joanna Salathé
Front-end Developer
Software Architect with focus on building software with great User Experience
Nathanaël Khodl
Front-end Developer
Full stack developer and chatbot pioneer
NOVA UNIVERSITY OF LISBON
NOVA University of Lisbon includes NOVA Medical School which is at the forefront in developing partnerships between researchers and stakeholders (academia, hospitals, industry, patient associations and decision makers), with activities which align medical education, research and hospital practice, while serving the community, and promoting the development of science and technology.The Comprehensive Health Research Centre (CHRC), coordinated by NOVA Medical School, is a multidisciplinary, multi-institutional and comprehensive new research centre aimed at supporting, developing and fostering clinical, public health and health services research. The other CHRC pillars and central activities are health education and training; innovation, digital and entrepreneurship. EpiDoC is an epidemiology and outcomes research group within CHRC, aiming at providing scientific information of excellence, gathering health and diseases issues and covering clinical, social, economic and human aspects.
Helena Canhão
UNL team coordinator of the LEAVES project and leader of WP4
MD, PhD in Medicine, Master in Clinical Research from Harvard Medical School
Ana Rodrigues
UNL team scientific lead of the LEAVES project (portuguese RCT study protocol, user experience evaluation, cost-effectiveness analysis)
MD, PhD in Medicine, Clinical Scholars Research Training from Harvard Medical School
Rute Dinis de Sousa
UNL team manager of the LEAVES project, Executive Director CHRC
MSc Clinical Psychology, International MBA
Maria João Jacinto
Business evaluation and co-leader of WP4
MSc, PhD Bioengineering
Nuno Mendonça
Quantitative methods and statistical analysis of the portuguese RCT
Nutritional epidemiologist MSc, PhD Food and Nutrition
Marta Moreira Marques
User experience evaluation, qualitative and quantitative methods
Behavioral scientist MSc, PhD Health Psychology
Judite Gonçalves
RCTs’ cost-effectiveness analysis
Health economist, MSc, PhD Econometrics
PSYCHIATRIC DEPARTMENT AT THE HEALTH UNIT OF BAIXO ALENTEJO
The Local Health Unit of Baixo Alentejo (ULSBA) integrates Portugal’s Public National Health Service and supports 126,692 inhabitants (Census, 2011) in its geographical area of coverage, with the elderly adding up to 25% of the population, majority of whom suffer from dementia and depression. The Psychiatry Department, through its Geriatric Psychiatry Team, assists elderly with mental disease via clinical evaluation, elaboration of a therapeutical and rehabilitative plan, home visits, caregivers support and telemedicine.
Ana Matos Pires
Steering committee, head clinical researcher, overview of ULSBA’s LEAVES-related activities.
MD, Psychiatrist, Head of the Psychiatry Department at ULSBA, Advisor for the National Program for Mental Health (General Directorate of Health - DGS)
María Suárez Gómez
End-user committee, clinical researcher, recruitment, interviews and transcriptions.
MD, PhD, Psychiatrist, Gerontopsychiatric Team Coordinator at ULSBA.
Joana
Isaac
Clinical researcher, recruitment, interviews and transcriptions.
MD, PhD student at UNL, Psychiatry Resident at ULSBA
Afonso Gouveia
Clinical researcher, recruitment, interviews and transcriptions.
MD, Psychiatry Resident at ULSBA
SENSING FUTURE TECHNOLOGIES
Sensing Future Technologies (SFT) was founded in 2011. SFT designs, develops and implements medical devices with a high degree of innovation, functionality and applicability. SFT has expertise in bringing to market new commercial products. All its promoters have experience in R&D projects. Main areas of activity:
- Stabilometry and Baropodometry: Balance and Pressure Physical Rehabilitation devices
- Robotics, haptic devices and telemedicine
Carlos Alcobia
Steering committee and business model developer
PhD in Mechanical Engineering. CEO
Luís Ferreira
WP4 leader: Business Modelling and Exploitation
MSc in Mechanical Engineering. CTO
Pedro Mendes
WP4 leader: Business Modelling and Exploitation
MSc in Mechanical Engineering.
International Sales & Founder
André Dias
Full Stack Developer
MSc in software Engineer