Active neighborhoods and lifestyle interventions | Healthcare Research Center

Healthy sleep without barriers

We are developing accessible sleep communication for socially vulnerable older people, based on insights from previous research. We do this because this group experiences sleep problems more often and at the same time is much less reached by mainstream prevention, which puts pressure on their health and self-reliance. Through co-creation we translate scientific knowledge into a practical sleep guide, a digital toolkit and interactive workshops that lower thresholds and make healthy sleep achievable. Read on and discover how you can contribute to better sleep and well-being in frail seniors.

Oudere dame in slaap
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Fonds Amand Vilyn - Scimingo

Healthy sleep without barriers - from research to practice for vulnerable older adults

Socially vulnerable older adults more often experience sleep problems due to stress, multimorbidity, limited health literacy, and social isolation, while standard preventive initiatives rarely reach them. Previous research shows that their knowledge, skills, and attitudes regarding sleep are limited, and that clear, low‑threshold communication is essential to help prevent fall risk, depressive symptoms, cognitive decline, and excessive use of sleep medication. This project responds to these needs by translating sleep research into accessible, culturally sensitive materials that align with the everyday lives of older adults and their informal caregivers.

Therefore, together with older adults and sleep experts, we are developing a practical sleep guide, a digital toolkit featuring videos, podcasts, and audio exercises, and we are organizing interactive workshops in collaboration with, among others, local service centers, community health centers, and caregiver organizations, as well as other organizations that are in close contact with the target group.

These materials will be tested and refined through co‑creation with a panel of older adults and sleep experts, and subsequently disseminated widely through partner networks and thematic days such as World Sleep Day, the Day of Science, and the International Day of Older Persons. In this way, we strengthen knowledge, self‑management, and well‑being, lower barriers to healthy sleep, and reduce the sleep‑health gap in a group that too often remains overlooked.

Sleep - elderly - co-creation

oudere man slapeloosheid

Expected

  • Sleep Guide
  • Digital toolkit
  • Campaign

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