Promoting Personal and Social Recovery in Older Persons with Schizophrenia: The Case of The New Club, a Novel Dutch Facility Offering Social Contact and Activities.

Promoting Personal and Social Recovery in Older Persons with Schizophrenia: The Case of The New Club, a Novel Dutch Facility Offering Social Contact and Activities.
Community Ment Health J. 2019 Mar 15;:
Authors: Meesters PD, van der Ham L, Dominicus M, Stek ML, Abma TA
Abstract
Many older community-living persons with schizophrenia report unmet psychological and social needs. The Amsterdam-based New Club is a novel facility that intends to foster self-reliance and social participation in this group. To explore participants' and staff perceptions, a naturalistic qualitative study combined participant observation with interviews. The results illustrate how the New Club contributes to the personal and social recovery of its participants. At the personal level, attending the facility, activation and feeling accepted were valued positively. At the social level, engaging with others, experiencing a sense of community, and learning from one another's social skills were positive contributors. Next, various environmental factors proved important. The New Club demonstrates the feasibility of creating a facility that offers an accepting and non-demanding social environment to older community-living individuals with severe mental illnesses. It may offer a suitable alternative for the more demanding psychotherapeutic interventions offered to younger populations.
PMID: 30877502 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Source: Community Mental Health Journal - March 14, 2019 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Meesters PD, van der Ham L, Dominicus M, Stek ML, Abma TA Tags: Community Ment Health J Source Type: research