Cross-Border Capacity Assessment in Dementia Care

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Healthcare Management
• Cross-border Cooperation

Background:

• Cross-border cooperation in healthcare within the Euregio Meuse-Rhine is fragmented.
• Existing structures and activities in specific fields like dementia care lack a clear overview.
• Assessing Euregional orientation of dementia care in Dutch Limburg is crucial for transparency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the Euregional orientation of dementia care cooperation in the Dutch province of Limburg.
• To create cross-border transparency in Euregional dementia care through capacity assessment.
• To identify gaps between current and desired capacities in dementia care.

Main Methods:

• Capacity assessment analysis applied to dementia care in the Euregio Meuse-Rhine.
• Mapping current and desired healthcare capacities.
• Model potentially applicable to other cross-border healthcare settings.

Main Results:

• No respondents reported structural contacts with dementia care organizations in the German or Belgian parts of the Euregio.
• Respondents see potential in cross-border cooperation but lack immediate necessity.
• Gaps identified between current and desired capacities in dementia care.

Conclusions:

• Despite well-functioning regional networks, structural cross-border dementia care cooperation is absent in the Euregio Meuse-Rhine.
• Capacity assessment provides organizational reflection and transparency, even without immediate cooperation.
• Key opportunities for Euregional development lie in knowledge sharing and partnerships for dementia care.