Working together towards more balance in informal care
How can we work together to make it easier for you as a caregiver to find balance in your life?

The research

Informal care. Many Dutch people have to deal with this. For example, 1 in 3 Dutch people is an informal carer themselves and 1 in 4 Dutch people combines informal care with a paid job. And sometimes we don’t even realize that we are an informal caregiver ourselves. Because… caring for your loved one is very normal, isn’t it? For example, guiding your father or mother with a doctor’s visit and helping with medication; or taking care of your child with physical or mental disabilities; or shopping and cooking for your sick neighbor. Without informal carers, healthcare would come under even greater pressure. And many Dutch would not make it in daily life. Informal care is therefore important and rewarding work that often gives satisfaction. Yet it often also causes extra stress for the informal caregiver in addition to the daily work and activities. And there is a high risk that the informal caregiver will no longer be able to cope with it and (temporarily) drop out.

Citizenlab Informal care: practical solutions for (informal) care

How can we work together to make it easier for you as a caregiver to find balance in your life? Many different (digital) tools already exist, such as websites and apps. But they are not always easy to find and use. That is why we want to work with you to find smart tools that can help you find a better balance in your life and in informal care.

How can we help each other?

We would be happy to do research with you and look for smart tools. That is why we ask for your help. Do you enjoy contributing to research? Would you like to improve your own situation as a caregiver? And do you find the use of technology interesting or perhaps difficult? Then we would like to invite you to work with us in our Citizenlab.
For example, you can participate in interviews, group discussions and workshops that help devise good methods, apps and other resources for you as a caregiver. Please let us know if you would like to participate.

You can sign up for the pilot by email and leave contact information.

Also tell others about the Citizenlab Mantelzorg

Do you know other informal carers who would like to contribute or participate? Share or email this page via the buttons on the right of the screen.

Informal care in Twente in times of Corona (questionnaire research)

In the months of May and June, we distributed a questionnaire among the informal carers in Twente. The informal carers answered questions about their experiences with informal care during the corona crisis. They also answered questions about their use of digital tools in informal care and for their own health and well-being. The results of the questionnaire can be viewed here (link below text to: Citizenlab Mantelzorg 🡪 The study 🡪 Results).