Amstelhuis – Living Lab

The Amstelhuis functions both as a residential facility for senior citizens in Amsterdam and as an excellent practical environment for students, lecturers and researchers of the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS).

> Next step: forms of housing for Turkish and Moroccan elderly people

On 21 March 2017, a policy meeting was held by Amstelhuis Cocon Vastgoed Zorg and the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. Central to this meeting was the subject “forms of housing for Turkish and Moroccan elderly people”.

Representatives of Cocon Vastgoed Zorg, professors and researchers from the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences and representatives from “Wijkadvies” (Community Advice) considered various forms of housing for these specific groups. This resulted in unique concepts and ideas, to serve as recommendations for Cocon Vastgoed Zorg:

• Create small housing units with 30 to 40 residents, two separate spaces for, respectively, Turkish and Moroccan seniors.
• Each space has a transitional space and a bridging function to the general and the public spaces.
• Relationships with children and grandchildren appear to be essential. Set up the space in such a manner that contact with family is possible and attractive.

We hope to jointly work out the ideas in further detail in the future.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Een Nieuwe Start - Het Amstelhuis (subs)

Het Amstelhuis 2 - Living Together

VITAMINE

_________________________________________________________________________________

Contact

For more information, contact Ellen Budde - projectleader Amstelhuis (e.budde@hva.nl).

What is the goal of the project?

Based on the belief that a safe and close social environment contributes to the well-being of the residents, the research programme Urban Vitality and the Amstelhuis have been working together since 2015. Central importance is placed on activity, nutrition and social cohesion, with special attention for the residents’ own strength and self-management.

What is the result of the project?

Students, lecturers and researchers from the faculties of Health (FH), Applied Social Sciences and Law (FASSL), Sports and Nutrition (FSN), and Digital Media and Creative Industries (FDMCI) collaborate in interdisciplinary teams on various projects for research and other purposes. This collaboration produces research, projects and activities for the residents.

ONGOING PROJECTS

• Falls are the most common cause of accidental injuries among the elderly. Exercise Therapy students therefore give weekly lessons in Fall Prevention, and a study into fall prediction was performed. The purpose of the training and the study is to prevent and predict falls to allow for quicker action in the future and to make elderly people feel more confident in terms of their postural stability. The study showed that In Balans is the most suitable training programme for the residents of the Amstelhuis. In addition to giving the Fall Prevention training, Exercise Therapy students are studying physical activity among the elderly while waiting for the approval of the application for a four-year subsidised study of this subject.

• Healthy nutrition for the elderly is a frequent subject in research, information and advice. As part of The Food Lab HvA, students of Nutrition & Dietetics perform research into this subject. Sustainable products, protein-rich food and taste experience are key. Together with the residents’ club of the Amstelhuis, The Food Lab organises meetings where residents can taste sustainable and vegetarian products. Furthermore, The Food Lab is researching what can be done to make the restaurant more attractive for elderly people living in the neighbourhood.

• For the vitality of the residents, it is important they have a social network of co-residents, family and friends. Research by Occupational Therapy students shows that some of the residents find it difficult to connect with the residents upon moving into the Amstelhuis. Students investigate what assistance is desired to help strengthen the social network of new residents where necessary in the first weeks. In keeping with this, students of the minor in Social Inclusion are researching how residents can support and help each other.

COMPLETED PROJECTS

• Estimating fall risk is important for achieving timely and targeted intervention. The BRAVO project developed new knowledge about technology that allows the estimation of fall risk in realistic environments. Measurements were carried out to study the movement patterns and fall risks of pensioners. This was done using digital measurement equipment set up in residential environments to record the daily activities of residents.

• For which residents does the Amstelhuis present a suitable living environment? This was the key question in a study by Occupational Therapy students into the acceptance procedure of the facility. Based on this study, the procedure was expanded with more attention for the community that is the Amstelhuis and for the ambition to create a pleasant community together.

• The VITAMINE study developed a home exercise programme for the elderly for the improvement of their daily physical functioning. AUAS-students acted as coaches, and offered lessons in exercise. Subsequently, the study investigated the effects of additional functional exercise programmes combined with a protein-rich diet.

Who initiated the project and which organizations are involved?

The Amstelhuis is a residential facility in Amsterdam containing 120 social housing units for persons aged 70 and over with a need for light care. They live there independently and can use the residents’ club on the ground floor. With a bar, restaurant and library, this residents’ club offers a meeting place for both the residents and elderly people living in the neighbourhood.

The basic idea of the Amstelhuis is to enable its residents to live independently as long as possible in a pleasant environment where they can meet other seniors and take part in activities. To make this possible, the residents and the management of the Amstelhuis are working in conjunction with the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS).

https://www.hva.nl/urban-vitality/onderzoek/livings-labs/amstelhuis/het-amstelhuis.html

1 Comment

Jurjen Söhne on September 29th 2016 - 12:31

Hi there! Great initiative!
We are hosting this year's European Robotics Week in Amsterdam, "Robots at your Service", for the purpose to prolong independent living. https://amsterdamsmartcity.com/projects/robots-at-your-service-active--healthy-ageing

I see a great fit with your program and suggest we meet soon to discuss possible collaboration!

Topics

Maybe you will also like these updates

Rosaria Battista, Intern at Placemaking Europe, posted Apr 12th

Get ready for an exciting experience at the 7th Annual Placemaking Week Europe (PWE) in Rotterdam, Netherlands, from September 24-27, 2024! 🚀

Join us as we co-create an unforgettable programme! Do you have a game-changing project, research, or workshop to share? We want to hear from you!

This year’s festival revolves around four compelling themes:
1. Creating Place & Making It Last
2. Climate Adaptation: Together Towards Change
3. Living with Water: The Flow of the City
4. Local Power & The Battle for Space

Submit your proposals by May 19, 2024, and shape the future of urban spaces with us! Don’t miss out on this opportunity to make a difference! Join us in Rotterdam and let’s build better cities, one idea at a time! ✨

You can find all the open call info and application instructions here.

More information about PWE'24 on our official website.

Cornelia Dinca, International Liaison at Amsterdam Smart City, posted Apr 11th

From March 4 to April 5, Amsterdam Smart City (ASC) collaborated with international peers from 77 cities across Europe in a series of online knowledge and inspiration sessions during the Intelligent Cities Challenge (ICC) Implementation Lab. The focus was on sharing best practices and building knowledge for implementing Local Green Deals (LGDs) to accelerate the transformation towards sustainability based on the principles of good governance, policy integration, partnership with local stakeholders.

Colleagues, partners, and experts from the Amsterdam Smart City network shared insights in several thematic and training sessions, including:
•      Mobility & Transport Thematic Session: Pelle Menke shared the approach and lessons from ASC's Mobility Justice Challenge, while Diederik Basta introduced the City of Amsterdam's participation in the Gemini project, supporting residents in starting local, shared mobility cooperatives through a "Mobility as a Commons" (MaaC) approach.
•      Local Green Deals Training Session: Egon van Wees presented Amsterdam's experience in setting up nine Impact Deals with social enterprises under the CLIMAA Local Green Deals project. The evaluation indicates that these deals have resulted in the creation of 105 jobs for people with barriers to the labor market and a reduction of 92 tonnes of CO2 emissions. Amsterdam, in collaboration with Aalborg (Denmark), also developed a framework now utilized by other cities in setting up similar Impact Deals.
•      Social Economy Thematic Session: Frits Verhoef shared lessons from his involvement in two local energy cooperatives, including the pioneering work of NDSM-Energie in developing a 15MW wind park in the NoorderIJplas area, highlighting various financial and political barriers yet to be overcome. Frits also his work with MeerEnergie, a cooperative aiming to establish a heating network owned by local residents in the Watergraafsmeer district of Amsterdam, utilizing waste heat from nearby data centers.

What's Next?
Amsterdam Smart City is excited to host the ICC network in Amsterdam for a Mobility Field Visit in May, showcasing best practices for public-private collaboration in sustainable and smart mobility. We also look forward to connecting with ICC peers in person during the upcoming ICC conference in Porto in June.

More Information
For further details about the Implementation Lab and upcoming ICC activities, visit the ICC website: https://www.intelligentcitieschallenge.eu/events/icc-implementation-lab-1

Stakeholders in the Amsterdam Region interested in more information or wishing to connect to the ICC network during upcoming labs or other similar sessions can reach out to ASC International Liaison via cornelia@amsterdamsmartcity.com

Herman van den Bosch, professor in management development , posted Apr 7th

Due to a long stay in the hospital, I was unable to post my columns. I also cannot guarantee their continuity in the near future, but I will do my best...

In my previous post, I emphasised that urban densification should be coordinated with other claims on space. These are: expanding blue-green infrastructure and the desire to combine living and working. I am also thinking of urban horticulture. It is therefore unlikely that all the necessary housing in the Netherlands - mentioned is a number of one million housing units - can be realised in the existing built-up area. Expansion into rural areas is then inevitable and makes it possible to improve the quality of these rural areas. Densification of the many villages and small towns in our country enable to approach them from the '15-minute principle' as well. Villages should thereby become large enough to support at least a small supermarket, primary school and health centre, but also to accommodate small businesses. A fast and frequent public transport-connection to a city, to other villages and to a railway station in the vicinity is important.

A thorny issue is the quality of nature in the rural area. Unfortunately, it is in bad shape. A considerable part of the rural area consists of grass plots with large-scale agro-industrial use and arable land on which cattle feed is grown. Half of the Netherlands is for cows, which, incidentally, are mostly in stalls. Restoring nature in the area that is predominantly characterised by large-scale livestock farming, is an essential task for the coming decades.

The development of sufficiently dense built-up areas both in cities and villages and the development of new nature around and within those cities and villages is a beckoning prospect. This can be done by applying the idea of 'scheggen' in and around medium-sized and large cities. These are green zones that penetrate deep into the urban area. New residential and work locations can then join the already built-up area, preferably along existing railway lines and (fast) bus connections. These neighbourhoods can be built in their entirety with movement on foot and by bicycle as a starting point. The centre is a small densely built-up central part, where the desired amenities can be found.

In terms of nature development, depending on the possibilities of the soil, I am thinking of the development of forest and heath areas and lush grasslands, combined with extensive livestock farming, small-scale cultivation of agricultural and horticultural products for the benefit of nearby city, water features with a sponge function with partly recreational use, and a network of footpaths and cycle paths. Picture above: nature development and stream restoration (Photo: Bob Luijks)

Below you can link to my free downloadable e-book: 25 Building blocks to create better streets, neighborhoods and cities

More projects