City Talks: Looking at Care another way

City Gallery Wellington, Civic Square
Monday 11 March, 6pm
Free entry

Data driven design and patient centred aged care practices from the Netherlands and New Zealand. Marian and Jan Westrate use the principles of Omdenken (flip-thinking) to illustrate the Dutch way of designing for and caring for their elderly. Omdenken is not primarily concerned to solve problems but to use problems to create opportunities. The theory of omdenken was developed in the 1990’s by Berthold Gunster, a former theatre director, using interactive workshops incorporating theatrical elements.

Marian and Jan will show examples of housing people with dementia and a village for people with dementia. They use the principles of omdenken in care of our elderly and what we think they want and what they need. It all needs omdenken to get us out of the narrow rut we have been walking in for so long.

City Talks is an ongoing series initiated by the New Zealand Institute of Architects Wellington Branch and presented in partnership with City Gallery Wellington. Its purpose is to foster discussion about architecture for a broader audience in a city that cares to openly discuss ideas relevant to our future.

Marian has more than 40 years of nursing experience in New Zealand and the Netherlands. She has first-hand care experience in rest homes, in the community and in hospitals. As a district nurse on the Kapiti Coast, Marian is a passionate advocate for her clients byeond the care system itself and direct nursing support.

Jan has over 20 years nursing experience in intensive care, guiding patients and families through complex and critical transitions of life. Through Care-Metric he organises quality improvement workshops for rest homes in New Zealand. He also evaluates aged care audit reports to recommend what aspects of care need to be addressed at a national level. Jan holds a PhD in nursing and regularly publishes articles in national and international journals.

The talk will be followed by refreshments.

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