Soemitro Poerbodipoero

During a Professional Doctorate, Soemitro Poerbodipoero is researching how Stichting Kraktie contributes to the health and well-being of seniors in Amsterdam-Zuidoost.

Stichting Kraktie offers services from a non-Western perspective to promote the health and well-being of home dwelling elderly people in Amsterdam-South East. Together with lecturers, professionals and researchers in the field of social work and occupational therapy, the project team investigates what works best in practice. Over the next 4 years, the project team will involve seniors, care and welfare organizations and a number of HvA courses in investigating, renewing and improving the activities program and the collaboration in the neighborhood.

Poerbodipoero was trained as an occupational therapist at the Amsterdam University of Appplies Sciences (AUAS) and subsequently worked in elderly care and rehabilitation. In recent years, he has been active as a lecturer-researcher in internationalization and educational innovation and as educational leader of the Occupational Therapy bachelor program. He also conducted research for the research group Occupational Therapy – Participation and Environment. He did research on a practice-oriented instrument that occupational therapists can use with seniors to determine which daily activities are meaningful to them.

Poerbodipoero is one of the first lecturer-researchers in the Netherlands to start a Professional Doctorate in Health and Wellbeing.

"Of course, it is special to be part of this leading group. This research trajectory offers new opportunities to work together with and conduct research in practice for a long period of time. Participatory action research in practice often takes a lot of time. Good ideas are regularly developed, but the implementation is lacking. During this research trajectory, I am involved in everyday practice. I gather ideas and wishes, implement them and see directly what impact they have. Both on professionals and on the target group. Because I am close to the living environment of seniors, I can adjust and develop further with them. Ultimately, this results in a valuable  program, in co-creation."

The Professional Doctorate Health and Wellbeing is an initiative of the Association of Universities of Applied Sciences, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW) and Regieorgaan SIA. Candidates are trained to become highly qualified professionals who can tackle complex, profession-oriented knowledge and design questions.

https://www.hva.nl/urban-vitality/gedeelde-content/projecten/ergotherapie---participatie-en-omgeving/bevorderen-positieve-gezondheid-welzijn-en-participatie-thuiswonende-senioren-amsterdam-zuidoost.html