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Background: The aim was to study the weight and weight status of the study group in 2002 and 2007, and to study the differences in weight and weight status between 2002 and 2007 and the risk groups for (becoming) overweight/obese. Materials and Methods: The Body Mass Index (BMI) of 336 clients of a Dutch service provider for persons with intellectual disabilities was calculated in 2002 and 2007. Results: The mean increase in BMI between 2002 and 2007 was 0.8 (2.2 kg). In 2002, 36% of the study group was overweight/obese; this was higher in 2007: 45%. The expected relationship between increase in BMI and the change in living circumstances could not be confirmed. Conclusions: Further research into health-control programmes, weight status, food-intake and physical exercise is recommended.

Municipalities in Western Europe have increasingly gained a responsibility to support their populations' healthy ageing, but are they ready to do so? In this case study, we are looking into the awareness, attitudes, capacities and mandates of 33 neighboring Belgian, Dutch, and German municipalities to support ageing people, and especially people with dementia, people with late‐life depression and informal caregivers. As part of the Senior Friendly Communities Interreg project, we conducted semi‐structured interviews with municipal policymakers and relevant stakeholders from May 2017 to January 2018. The results show that dementia was a more salient theme in municipality policies than depression; that informal caregivers were considered important but difficult for municipalities to identify; that there was a difference between how embedded these health themes were in policies versus in practice; and lastly, that conducting this assessment turned out to act as an intervention itself. We discuss the similarities and differences between the regions, and the context that needs to be taken into account for municipalities when becoming more age‐friendly. These results do not only provide an insight into the status quo of the participating municipalities with regard to becoming more age‐friendly but can provide a starting point for further development of policies in this area. Key points: The Senior Friendly Communities project stimulates age‐friendly municipality policies for people with dementia, people with late‐life depression, and informal caregivers.This paper describes the results of interviews with officials from municipalities in the Meuse‐Rhine Euroregion who participated in the Senior Friendly Communities project.The results indicate that dementia is a more salient topic in municipality policies than depression.Informal caregivers are regarded as difficult to identify for municipalities.The support of healthy ageing differs between policies and practice.Conducting assessments of municipal health policies acted as an intervention itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Intellectual disability (ID) has consequences at all stages of life, requires high service provision and leads to high health and societal costs. However, ID is largely disregarded as a health issue by national and international organisations, as are training in ID and in the health aspects of ID at every level of the education system. Specific aim: This paper aims to (1) update the current information about availability of training and education in ID and related health issues in Europe with a particular focus in mental health; and (2) to identify opportunities arising from the initial process of educational harmonization in Europe to include ID contents in health sciences curricula and professional training. Method: We carried out a systematic search of scientific databases and websites, as well as policy and research reports from the European Commission, European Council and WHO. Furthermore, we contacted key international organisations related to health education and/or ID in Europe, as well as other regional institutions. Results: ID modules and contents are minimal in the revised health sciences curricula and publications on ID training in Europe are equally scarce. European countries report few undergraduate and graduate training modules in ID, even in key specialties such as paediatrics. Within the health sector, ID programmes focus mainly on psychiatry and psychology. Conclusion: The poor availability of ID training in health sciences is a matter of concern. However, the current European policy on training provides an opportunity to promote ID in the curricula of programmes at all levels. This strategy should address all professionals working in ID and it should increase the focus on ID relative to other developmental disorders at all stages of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Care recipients are becoming increasingly involved in the decision-making process for suitable treatments. Advance Care Planning (ACP) enables care recipients and healthcare professionals to timely think and discuss wishes and preferences for treatments, before a care recipient becomes limited by disease, cognitive problems or age. The Treatment Passport is developed by geriatric specialist Esther Bertholet and contains supportive questions to think about treatment wishes. This study aimed to evaluate the experiences of civilians and healthcare professionals with the usage of the Treatment Passport during ACP. Involved care organisations distributed the Treatment Passports to healthcare professionals, for example dementia casemanagers. Healthcare professionals then handed the Treatment passports to civilians, for example older persons. Thereafter, healthcare professionals (N=30) and civilians (N=80) filled out a questionnaire about the experiences with usage of the Treatment Passport. 65% of the civilians had a disease and a mean age 75.3 years. The Treatment Passport was considered a helpful tool to think and talk about treatment wishes. 57% of the healthcare professionals wants to keep using the Treatment Passport and 78% of the civilians would recommend it to others. Participants who found the passport of limited added value mostly had their own methods of discussing their treatment wishes.