FACTORS INFLUENCING ADAPTIVE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MEETING CENTRES SUPPORT PROGRAMME IN FOUR EUROPEAN COUNTRIES: RESULTS OF THE MEETINGDEM PROJECT

Abstract

The Meeting Centres Support Programme (MCSP) aims to offer combined person-centred psychosocial support to people with mild to moderately severe dementia and their family carers in socially integrated community centres. The MCSP was developed in the Netherlands, where research proved that it was beneficial (Dröes et al., 2000, 2004, 2006). There are now over 140 Meeting Centres in the Netherlands with much international interest. Within the framework of the JPND-MeetingDem project, MCSP has been adaptively implemented in three European countries: Italy, Poland and the UK. The method of adaptive implementation and factors influencing the adaptive implementation of MCSP in these three countries and the Netherlands will be discussed. A purposively selected sample of stakeholders was interviewed in each country about facilitators and barriers that were experienced during the whole implementation process (preconditions, and preparation, execution and continuation phases). Data were analysed using the theoretical model of adaptive implementation (Meiland et al., 2004, 2005). A step-wise procedure was followed in each country by an Initiative Group of stakeholders. They worked on the specific tasks necessary to establish a MCSP. Variations in influencing factors of adaptive implementation between the four countries were found at a micro-level (user level: e.g. recruitment of qualified and motivated personnel, and finding a suitable location), meso-level (organizational level: e.g. good collaboration between regional care and welfare organisations) and macro-level (laws and regulations: e.g. reimbursement from health insurance or local government). Also, differences and similarities between countries regarding facilitating and impeding pre-conditions were found, such as available time to implement MCSP, human and financial resources and collaborations with regional care and welfare organizations. These results will be presented at the symposium. Based on the insights in factors influencing the adaptive implementation of MCSP in the three countries country-specific guidelines were developed to stimulate further successful implementation of MCSP in these countries and across Europe. This is an EU Joint Programme - Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND) project, supported under the aegis of JPND by: Italy, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education; Netherlands, ZonMw; Poland, NCBR; UK, Economic and Social Research Council.