Since the signing of the IZA by many parties in the healthcare sector in 2022, there has been an enormous amount of administrative activity aimed at realizing integrated care—and thus collaboration between all involved parties (Van der Woerd, 2023).
Effective collaboration can arise when actors share their interests, listen to the input of others, and thoroughly process this new information (Kee, Nies, Van Wieringen, and Beersma, 2023). Integrated care is created through the integration of care. However, there are different interests and values among the actors who need to integrate care (Zonneveld, 2024). It is important to examine and prioritize both individual and shared interests, which sometimes requires making difficult choices. This is an especially challenging task when the involved parties—care providers, professionals, patients, regulators, and researchers—have differing definitions of integrated care (Goodwin, Stein & Amelung, 2021, p. 8).
That is why Nick and Galina will record an audio podcast, aiming to bridge the gap between science and practice on topics that are relevant to organizing integrated care, specifically in elderly care. The podcast episode will be recorded during the 'Dutch Next Generation Elderly Living at Home Longer’ conference on June 11, 2025, in Nieuwegein. This conference is specifically aimed at older adults, policymakers, professionals, managers, and executives from elderly care organizations. For this recording, we are inviting an employee from an elderly care institution to join our table, along with a municipal policymaker. The podcast is hosted by Nick Zonneveld (senior researcher at Vilans) and Dr. Galina van der Weert. In a four-person conversation, we will ask our guests about the following themes:
· What does ‘next generation elderly living at home longer’ mean to you and your family/organization?
· In what way and to what extent do integrated care practices impact the well-being of older adults and professionals, and the quality of care?
This will be followed by a discussion about differences in perspectives and which questions remain unanswered. The audience will be invited to join the conversation and respond.