Current Issues
May 2023
Study on supporting advance decision-making in the DECIDE project
As part of a study on supporting advance decision-making, we are looking for people with an existing dementia diagnosis in the Siegen and Frankfurt area:
Flyer Projekt DECIDE Siegen
Flyer Projekt DECIDE Frankfurt
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April 2023
Coming soon: Entscheidungsassistenz und Einwilligungsfähigkeit bei Demenz
Not yet available for pre-order. This title will be published in Q2 2023 and is the first manual on the assessment of capacity to consent and supported decision-making in the German-speaking world.
People with dementia have the right to decide whether to seek medical intervention or participate in dementia research. However, in the course of dementia, affected persons may lose their ability to make complex decisions. This is referred to as incapacity to consent. In care and research practice, there is still uncertainty as to how the ability of people with dementia to give consent can be validly assessed and, if necessary, established with the help of supported decision-making. The manual provides practical guidelines.
New study, "Elderly people in your treatment and professional handling of loss and grief"
Lena Rupp, PhD student at the Department of Psychological Aging Research and practicing as a psychological psychotherapist in South Hesse since 2019, is currently looking for treatment providers (also in training) who would like to participate in her study "Elderly people in your treatment and professional handling of loss and grief". The questions will take no more than 10-15 minutes to complete.
Feel free to share the information about the study within your network of therapeutic or psychiatric/neurological colleagues, friends and acquaintances.
New study, "Levels of Participation in the Context of Medical Treatment Decisions."
Under the direction of Ronja Müller-Späth, the effect of participation on well-being in the context of medical treatment decisions is investigated. Within the framework of an anonymous online study, the influences of three levels of participation are investigated on the occasion of a case vignette of a doctor's consultation. The results of this study will provide starting points for the design of conducive communication in the context of medical conversations and decision-making processes.
In total, the study lasts up to 30 minutes. Participants must be at least 18 years old. After participation, students may receive subject hours. In addition, all participants can take part in a giveaway of four 10 Euro Amazon gift cards.
Click here for further information
March 2023
Expert discussion with Prof. Dr. Julia Haberstroh: Diagnosis "Alzheimer's" - A challenge for an aging society
Dementia diseases are a great burden for those affected, but also for society in general. Experts will discuss the current state of science and the challenges facing us all on March 23 in Hannover.
January 2023
Better decision-making in the comfort of your own home
Researchers at the University of Siegen are examining how people with Alzheimer's dementia can be supported in making autonomous decisions. They are conducting this research through a project called "DECIDE," which looks at how people with Alzheimer's dementia might be better able to make autonomous decisions in the familiar environment of their own homes. The project is one of the few systematic studies on "decision assistance" worldwide, and is being funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research with over 1 million euros.
People with Alzheimer's dementia have difficulty with short-term memory, but often retain long-term memories, so the familiar environment of their own homes and associated memories might help them recall their personal values, beliefs, and life themes. This is where the research team wants to start, to enable people with Alzheimer's dementia to make autonomous decisions despite their illness. The team is using the specific example of decisions related to advance health care planning, also known as "living wills," to test their hypothesis that decision-making is easier in the familiar home environment.
Read the whole article here (in German language)
September 2022
Research funding of the DAlzG in the context of the 11th Congress of the German Alzheimer Society e. V. in Mülheim a. d. Ruhr
On September 30, 2022, Katja Seidel, research associate and doctoral student at the Chair of Psychological Aging Research, accepted a research grant from the DAlzG during the 11th Congress of the German Alzheimer Society (DAlzG) in Mülheim a. d. Ruhr. The project "Psychische Effekte der Partizipation bei Menschen mit Demenz und deren Zugehörigen in Forschungsvorhaben (PsychPart)" (Psychological effects of participation in people with dementia and their relatives in research projects), which Katja Seidel funded together with Prof. Dr. Julia Haberstroh and the practice partner Stefanie Kremer (Alzheimer Gesellschaft Siegen e. V.), was selected.
Within the framework of the PsychPart project, two advisory boards are to be established in which people with dementia and their relatives regularly participate as co-researchers in dementia research at the University of Siegen. The focus will be on two questions:
(1) What are the beneficial effects of participation on people with dementia and their relatives from a psychological perspective? Here, empirical evidence should be created as a basis for the decision to establish advisory boards elsewhere and in other structures.
(2) What are the practical and methodical approaches to successful participation of those affected? Together with the co-researchers, a handout is to be developed that can motivate future implementation efforts in research and practice and support them with concrete suggestions for implementation.
Last but not least, the project should implicitly contribute to the development of a changed social image of people suffering from dementia, which is far too often deficit-oriented. It is to be shown that despite possible illness-related losses in various functional areas, participation is possible with the creation of suitable access points, especially for people with dementia.
September 2022
Teaching Award Summer Term 22 - "Best Teaching"
With the end of the lecture period of the summer semester 2022, the Student Council of Psychology invited again to award a teaching prize. The award was held under the motto "Best Teaching" in SoSe 2022.
Based on various criteria collected with the help of the student council, students could choose one lecturer each in the categories:
Reliability
Interaction,
transparency,
accessibility,
flexibility and
Requirements
as well as an additional category (e.g. variety of methodology, feedback on performance and the inclusion of practical/exercise phases).
In addition to the challenge cup, a further prize was awarded for the first time for special commitment to the seminar design. The aim of this award is to give more consideration to those lecturers who offer fewer/less frequent courses but are nevertheless very committed. 80 participants in total voted for two people in particular for the two awards:
Congratulations to Prof. Dr. Haberstroh and Dr. Schild!
While Prof. Dr. Haberstroh was ahead especially in the categories reliability, transparency and flexibility, Dr. Schild also scored with reliability, but especially with special helpfulness and constructive assistance in case of problems. Prof. Dr. Haberstroh has thus received the challenge cup for the "Best Teaching" - since the introduction of this award in the summer semester 2021 - for the third time in a row!
For all those interested, a short impression of the challenge cup as well as all information regarding the teaching award can be found on the FSR website.
May 2022
Teaching Award Winter Term 21/22 - "Best Implementation of Hybrid Teaching".
With the end of the lecture period of the winter term2021/22, the Student Council of Psychology invited again to award a teaching prize. In keeping with the spirit of the past semester and the special features associated with it, this time the award was held under the motto "Best Implementation of Hybrid Teaching".
Based on various criteria collected with the help of the student council, the students could choose one lecturer each in the categories:
Reliability
Interaction,
Transparency,
Accessibility,
Flexibility and
Requirements
as well as an additional category (e.g., variety of methodology, feedback with regard to services rendered, and the inclusion of practice/exercise phases).
It is particularly pleasing that 100 students took the opportunity to vote and that the result thus represents the opinion of a large part of the psychology students. The students voting have suprisingly awarded two female lecturers of psychology as winners of the teaching prize in the winter semester 2021/22:
We would like to congratulate Prof. Dr. Haberstroh and Prof. Dr. Hennecke!
While Prof. Dr. Haberstroh was ahead especially in the categories interaction, accessibility and flexibility, Prof. Dr. Hennecke clearly scored in the areas reliability, transparency as well as in the additional category.
For those who are interested, a short impression of the trophy as well as all information regarding the teaching award can be found on the FSR website.
11.05.2022
Digitale Medizin: Optimierte Gesundheitsversorgung bei Demenzerkrankung
Die Versorgung der Menschen im ländlichen Raum gehört zu einer der größten Herausforderungen der Gesundheitswirtschaft. Gerade in diesem Bereich kann digitale Medizin wertvolle Hilfestellungen leisten. Beispielhaft dafür steht die Diagnostik und Versorgung von demenzkranken Menschen. Ein Pilotprojekt, das derzeit in der Region Siegen-Wittgenstein durchgeführt wird, dokumentiert eindrücklich, wie groß der Nutzen der Digitalisierung in diesem Anwendungsgebiet ist. ... read more
Lena Rupp, PhD student at the Department of Psychological Aging Research, was awarded the Asystole Essay Prize 2022 (2nd place). The awarded article can be found at: https://blog.amboss.com/de/differenzialdiagnose-trauer-depression
Audio contribution to the Participatory pilot study DelpHi-SW
September 2021
Teaching Award Summer Term 2021 - "Best Implementation of Digital Teaching".
Based on a joint idea of the lecturers of the Institute of Psychology and the members of the student representation (Fachschaftsrat Psychologie), the awarding of a teaching prize was organized for the first time at the end of the summer term 2021.
In the run-up to this, various criteria were jointly collected for this purpose, which distinguish a good implementation of digital teaching. These criteria were then used to create an evaluation form for awarding points. In total, students were able to nominate one person in each of seven categories who, in their view, had implemented the corresponding category best in the context of teaching in the summer term 2021. Each nomination was awarded one point and added up to a total score. Prof. Dr. Julia Haberstroh took first place in the teaching award with a total of 56 points. She was nominated particularly frequently by students in the categories "reliability", "transparency" and "flexibility".
The Institute of Psychology and the student representation congratulate Prof. Dr. Haberstroh on this success!
Click image for larger view
Luise Badenhoop, student assistant of PAR, was awarded this year's Posterpreis of the Joint Symposium of Section III: Social and Behavioral Gerontology and Section IV: Social Gerontology and Geriatric Work of the German Society for Gerontology and Geriatrics (DGGG) (September 16-17, 2021). We are very pleased and congratulate!
The Pilot-DelpHi-SW project is presented in the article "Diagnose Demenz – und dann?" (pp. 17-22) in the new research magazine "future" of the University of Siegen (09/2021).
The RoutineDeCM Project (main trial for the DelpHi-SW pilot study) was approved on 30.04.2021.
"Dementia Care Management in der Routineversorgung am Beispiel der Region Siegen-Wittgenstein"
Sponsor: German Federal Ministry of Health
Main applicant: PD Dr. René Thyrian, DZNE Greifswald and Dr. Bernhard Holle, DZNE Witten
Participating co-applicants include: Prof. Dr. Julia Haberstroh
Duration: 01.07.2021 - 30.06.2024 (3 years)
The DECIDE Project was approved on 03/31/2021.
"Decision-making places in Alzheimer’s dementia – supporting advance decision-making by impro-ving person-environment fit (DECIDE)"
Sponsor: German Federal Ministry of Education and Research
Funding line: "Strengthening research in geriatrics and gerontology"
Duration: 01.04.2021 - 31.03.2024 (3 years)
Joint application: Haberstroh (PI) und Forstmeier
Prof. Dr. Julia Haberstroh was appointed to the Kuratorium der BHF Bank Stiftung with effect from January 1, 2021.
Prof. Dr. Julia Haberstroh was appointed to the Ethics Council at the University of Siegen
