Clinical Geriatrics - Original Investigations
Published: 2017-03-15

Implementation of the Dutch Meeting Centres Support Program for people with dementia and their carers in Milan: process evaluation of the preparation phase

Department of Earth and Life Sciences, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, Milan, Italy
Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, Milan, Italy
Department of Psychiatry, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Department of Psychiatry, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Department of General Practice and Elderly Care Medicine, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Italy
Meeting centres support programme Adaptive implementation Dementia Carers Facilitators and barriers

Abstract

Background and Aims. The Meeting Centres Support Programme (MCSP) for people with mild to moderately
severe dementia and their carers proved effective in the Netherlands, and is now being implemented in other
European countries. This study aimed to compare factors that at the preparation of two meeting centres in Italy
were expected and experienced as facilitating or impeding implementation.
Methods. At the start, stakeholders (n = 19) filled in a checklist on expected facilitators and barriers. After opening the centres, experienced facilitators and barriers were inventoried in semi-structured interviews (n = 13) and analysed by two independent researchers, using a Theoretical model on implementation. Additionally, minutes of the initiative group were investigated. Expected and experienced facilitators and barriers were compared.
Results. In contrary to the expectations, the use of existing networks/collaboration between organizations
facilitated the preparation phase. As expected, motivated stakeholders were facilitating. Shortening of the
original time plan (for pragmatic reasons) was not expected, and made some preparatory tasks difficult to fulfil.
Lack of Italian examples and cultural differences in working method made the realization of meeting centres
difficult to imagine. Some experienced factors were not foreseen due to unexpected events.
Conclusions. Most aspects of MCSP appeared well implementable in the Italian setting. Many factors were in
line with the Dutch implementation study, new influencing factors were also found.

Affiliations

M.C. van der Sanden

Department of Earth and Life Sciences, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

E. Farina

Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, Milan, Italy

F.L. Saibene

Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, Milan, Italy

F.J.M. Meiland

Department of Psychiatry, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

R.M. Dröes

Department of Psychiatry, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

M.J. Westerman

Department of General Practice and Elderly Care Medicine, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

R. Chattat

Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Italy

Copyright

© Società Italiana di Gerontologia e Geriatria (SIGG) , 2017

How to Cite

[1]
van der Sanden, M., Farina, E., Saibene, F., Meiland, F., Dröes, R., Westerman, M. and Chattat, R. 2017. Implementation of the Dutch Meeting Centres Support Program for people with dementia and their carers in Milan: process evaluation of the preparation phase. JOURNAL OF GERONTOLOGY AND GERIATRICS. 65, 1 (Mar. 2017), 1-12.
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