Profound intellectual and multiple disabilities and Motor activation, Dementia and Physical activity

decision-making, shared decision-making, frailty, geriatrics

Frailty, person-centred care and professional development in the nursing domain

Epidemiologie, medicatieveiligheid bij ouderen

Human Movement Sciences: Movement, Aging and Health

Clinical Coordination Dynamics / instrumental gait  and posture analysis/  Healthy Aging / Sensing and monitoring technology for healthy aging/ Gamification & mobility/motor learning and rehabilitation/fall prevention aging and cognition

Dementia, delirium, medication safety in the elderly, epidemiology

Multimorbidity Frailty Delirium

The research of de Rooij's group aims to improve health and health care of elderly persons by understanding the ageing [brain] process and age related diseases to improve cognitive and functional patient trajectories after acute illness.

Biological and clinical studies are combined with the construction and testing of innovative educational tools for patients and professionals [serious games & apps]. All studies have the focus on physical resilience and on prevention from or recovery of [avoidable] cognitive and functional decline after an acute event. 
Fundamental studies to elaborate on the neuroinflammatory process in the brain at cellular and structural level go hand in hand with clinical studies defining the clinical phenotype of neuroinflammation causing the clinical symptoms of delirium and leading to functional decline and accelerated cognitive decline and dementia.

To improve patient trajectories also qualitative and quantitative studies in hospitalized elderly patients are conducted. These studies try, by focussing on patient reported experience measures {socalled PREMs],  to create sound scientific evidence for innovative ways to improve the organisation of care for the most vulnerable elderly patients with acute care needs. All with a focus on supporting these patients in regaining their cognitive and physical function and to enable them to live as long as possible in their own home, or by respecting their health choices and by offering patient centred care and support in the deciosion making process.  

De Rooij and her team strongly believe in participatory action research and multidisciplinary collaboration and therefore they closely collaborate with elderly patients, their relatives and other health care professionals.   All their research is designed to have an immediate societal impact and directs towards quality improvement and not solely on gaining scientific impact. Examples are the Vitality Navigator, The Transitional Care Bridge and the Delirium Experience. These innovative health care solutions aim at supporting healthy ageing from a patient’s perspective and healthy ageing from the perspective of a high risk population.  

Currently de Rooij is preparing together with other colleagues the opening of the Alzheimer Center Groningen, the newest Alzheimer Center in the Netherlands that is not only focussing on diagnosis and therapy but also on improving the patients' care trajectory including his wellbeing after being diagnosied with dementia, and on the prevention of dementia in off-spring of patients with dementia.  
Since 2006 over 20 PhD’s have been defending their thesis based upon this research theme’s and more than 200 articles have been published. Several applications and serious games have been designed to support the impact of research on society. See also www.deliriumexperience.nl, www.seniorlines.nl, www.effectieveouderenzorg.nl, www.hospitalathome.nl, www.geriatriegroningen.nl, see also evaluations of the research on www.vmszorg.nl, www.beteroud.nl.

Follow the social media and Twitter for more news on healthy ageing from @sophiaderooij

Dementie
Zorginnovatie
Medicatieveiligheid