At ageing, there comes a certain point when people are no longer able to live independently in their own homes. With an ever increasing elderly population, this constitutes a significant and increasing burden for the health care expenses. The need for more cost effective solutions is evident. Research …

Lifestyle related health problems are a tremendous burden for European societies that demands a shift towards prevention and a professional to guide this process. Therefore a new bachelor program PAL was developed. A consortium of seven universities from the Netherlands, Denmark, Portugal, Italy, Lithuania …

Background: Anemia is a serious and highly prevalent co-morbidity in chronic heart failure (HF) patients. Its influence on health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) has rarely been studied, and no data is available regarding the role it plays in hospitalized HF patients. Methods: Baseline data from the …

Background: Paratonia causes severe movement dysfunction in late stage dementia. Passive Movement Therapy (PMT) is often used to decrease high muscle tone, but the efficacy has never been shown. The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of PMT on muscle tone after two and four weeks of …

Background: Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (MD1) is one of the most prevalent neuromuscular diseases, yet very little is known about how MD1 affects the lives of couples and how they themselves manage individually and together. To better match health care to their problems, concerns and needs, it is important …

Energy efficiency has gained a lot of prominence in recent debates on urban sustainability and housing policy due to its potential consequences for climate change. At the local, national and also international level, there are numerous initiatives to promote energy savings and the use of renewable energy …

Objective: Health beliefs of overweight adults who did and did not enter an exercise program were compared to identify possible factors that hamper people to increase physical exercise. Method: Participants (n = 116, 78 women and 38 men) were overweight adults without comorbidities. Self-report instruments …

In 2000 the European Union (EU) signed the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a United Nations (UN) policy in order to reduce poverty until 2015 by half compared to the figures from 2000. The EU is fully committed to the achievement of these internationally established MDGs which aim to end poverty …

Home automation that allows for telecare services is increasingly becoming a tool to help older adults live independently and to improve perceived safety and security. The number of older adults receiving professional care, in relation to housing, on a daily basis is not very large. Only 15% receives …

Women play critical roles in agriculture in many parts of the world. Yet, despite their contribution to global food security, women farmers are frequently underestimated and overlooked in development strategies. For this reason, women find it more difficult than men to gain access to valuable resources …