From February 4-6, 2026, the LeTs-Care team organised an intensive meeting in The Netherlands, hosted by the University of Amsterdam.
The gathering brought together researchers from the seven LeTs-Care countries to advance ethnographic practice studies… Still, this was no ordinary academic exchange. By immersing themselves in two pioneering Dutch care organisations, the team uncovered how local innovations can illuminate broader policy directions across Europe.
At Omring in Hoorn, Irina Montanus and Marit Zandbergen focussed on how innovation and research are connected to everyday care work. For example, their Health Square and Omring.LAB showcased how volunteers can guide older adults through tablet-based digital care connections.
The visit to Mooi Leven (“Beautiful Life”) in Warmenhuizen offered another crucial insight. Marco van Rossum and Wietse de Vries presented the local initiative in which residents, organisations and professionals work hand-in-hand to build a caring, healthy and solidarity-based community. This grassroots approach suggests that effective long-term care policy must account for local initiative and community ownership.
These ‘practice visits’ provided further insights needed to identify cross-national patterns and shared challenges in long-term care delivery.
The rich exchange between research and practice partners underscored a key project finding: sustainable care solutions emerge when policy learning flows from the ground up.
The LeTs-Care team extends special thanks to prof Adelina Comas-Herrera and prof Teppo Kröger for their contributions and looks ahead to the next meeting in autumn 2026 at CSIC in Madrid!
For further information and media coverage, check UIBK’s page
