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Newsletter 2

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Editorial

Welcome to the 2nd M-CARE Newsletter.

It outlines the project achievements and its dissemination, while

we welcome the contribution by the Bulgarian psychologist Silvana Trendafilova on the Burnout Syndrome as a phenomenon which af-

fects the work of PCGs.

M-CARE partners attended various events all over Europe where they disseminated the project to ensure that interested parties are

informed and involved in the project implementation.

If you want to receive up-to-date information, please also follow

the project website www.mcare-project.eu, as well as our social media channels (Twitter, Facebook).

If you would like to contribute to the next editions of the

Newsletter, please contact the editorial team at interpro-jectsbg@gmail.com. We will be more than glad to publish your ma-

terials if relevant to the M-CARE aims and objectives.

We wish you a pleasant reading!

M-CARE survey report findings

At the first stage of the M-CARE project, its partners held a thor-

ough research of project target groups’ needs. For that purpose

they interviewed people with disabilities (PwD), personal care-

givers and other professionals working in the field of social affairs,

parents and relatives of people with disabilities, as well as policy

makers in the relevant field. The data gathered through the re-

search phase was carefully analysed and summarised by the dedi-

cated WP leader, University of Athens.

A total of 636 questionnaires (PCGs – 120 responses, PwD / OP –

276, stakeholders – 240 responses) were completed by respon-

dents living in Flanders (Belgium), Bulgaria, Germany and Turkey

(some responses were submitted in English as well), either online

or during an interview / focus group. The M-CARE project partners

also conducted desk research collecting information about the cur-

rent situation with PCG services in their countries, from various

resources, such as government published data, publications from

relevant entities and information provided by their own organisa-

tion.

Analysis of the research data makes evident that there are notable

differences in PCG practices among the project countries and also

provides us with very useful insights.

PCG role

A broad definition of a personal caregiver for people with disabili-

ties and older people could be that of the employed professional

who addresses the needs of people who are in one or more ways

incapable of personal care tasks. The PCG profession is formally

described only in Bulgaria (among the project countries). There-

fore, there are a lot of different definitions given for the role in

each project country.

M-CARE survey report findings

There are differences concerning what a personal care giver can and

cannot do, his/her working conditions and the required training:

In Flanders (Belgium) there is no special training necessary for a

"personal assistant" to work. There is a list of requirements

(competences, skills, personal characteristics, working conditions) that

the Flemish employment agency expects from candidate PCGs but these

are merely recommendations. There is a personal assistance budget

(PAB), part of which is used to pay the salary of a PCG. The PAB holder

can employ personnel to perform a variety of tasks to assist in the or-

ganization of his / her daily life. A PCG cannot do activities that fall un-

der “performing therapies”.

In Bulgaria the profession of PCG is formally described and graduation

from a PCG VET course is required. The caregiver provides basic health

care and / or supports the work of health care professionals in hospitals,

in the community and/or at home. The services offered cover a wide

range of activities (from assisting with mobility and hygiene to providing

entertainment and emotional support), with the main goal of improving

the patient's quality of life - always working under the guidance of doc-

tors or health care specialists. Caring for the elderly, sick and disabled

persons in the home environment is implemented under national, Euro-

pean and other projects.

A general legislative framework including all possible services (caring

and nursing) does not exist in Germany. There are rules of law or direc-

tives/ requirements for each service or offer. PwD and OP people do not

have to pay for the PCG services, because the employment is financed

by different state programs and implemented by social services and VET

institutes.

In Turkey, since 2005 all PwD in need of care -whether they had social

insurance or not- became entitled to benefit from care services. PwDs in

need without family and social insurance, are admitted to public or pri-

vate care institutions or receive care services at home. The role of the

personal caregiver is partially covered by the legislation for certified

caregivers employed in public and private care institutions. According to

it, their main responsibility is to provide services for PwD following the

individual prescribed care program (hygiene, nutrition, etc.), to provide

psychological support and inform medical staff if necessary.

M-CARE survey report findings

Needs of assistance

Most of the PCGs in the project countries provided support to peo-

ple with motor disabilities.

Six out of ten respondents use some kind of technological support

and/or assistive device.

The main needs of assistance reported included help with moving

around.

Many respondents mentioned that they needed help with their

personal hygiene, eating, grooming, toilet usage and get-

ting dressed. Some also needed basic nursing services. Some re-

spondents stated that they needed help with household activities.

An important part of the needs indicated include those related to

social activities and provision of emotional support.

Most PwD and OP (84%) need assistance at home, but the need of

assistance at the workplace, in education, as well as in vocational

rehabilitation was also highlighted. 35% of the respondents stated

that they need assistance in the public space.

We can conclude from the survey results that there are a lot of

people that need PCG services, but they currently receive support

from family members instead of professionals. In Germany 80%

use professionals for addressing their care giving needs. In Flan-

ders (Belgium) and Turkey the respective rate is 60% and in Bul-

garia 58,3%.

M-CARE survey report findings

Quality of PCG services

PwD/OP and their family members are generally satisfied with

the PCG services they have received. 27% of respondents (family

members of PwD/OP) however indicate they don’t trust their PCG.

PWD: 81% are either satisfied or completely satisfied.

Family members: 65,9% are either satisfied or completely

satisfied.

Employment status of PCGs

37% of PWD and older people said that their PCG is not a member

of the legal workforce.

The gender of the care giver was also presented as an important

issue for Bulgaria and Turkey, while for Flanders (Belgium) and

Germany it seems to be of no importance.

Educational background of PCGs

In general, in all project countries, PCGs feel competent

(85,4%) as professionals.

A relatively high number (43,9%) of PCGs say they wouldn't

like to have special training.

74,4% of PWD selected basic psychological support as a

domain in which they would like their PCG to have extra training

on.

Training preferences

PwD for their PCG: Basic psychological support is identified

as the most important field with understanding a disability and

practical approaches in daily care, with examples coming

second and third respectively.

PCGs: They are divided between a broad and a specific training

program. Practical approaches in daily care were indicated as

the most preferred field of extra training, closely followed by

understanding a disability and interpersonal communication

skills.

Most respondents seem to prefer a blended training approach

(online & face to face), with video indicated as the preferred form

of training content.

M-CARE survey report findings

Training practices

The most common training provided by the survey respondents is

about providing assistance with mobility and hygiene.

The material provided during courses is mostly textual. Only one

training centre uses online resources for training PCGs.

The training centres suggested the use of group training methods,

online tools, practical training and videos.

It is important to highlight the fact that we received only one

response mentioning the use of online material in PCG

training (from Bulgaria).

This result combined with the fact that online training is actually

recommended for PCG training by the respondents is crucial for

the planning of M-CARE work which is highly focused towards

producing (among other) training content for online and mobile

platforms.

The overall results are also extremely encouraging for the

development of the M-CARE PCG training curriculum and material,

since people from all relevant target groups identified that the

preferred methods for training cover all areas that M-CARE plans

to address.

Together with the training modules that are already in practice by

VET centres, which were identified during the desktop research,

the research’s results will work as a guide for the production of

the project's outcomes.

M-CARE dissemination events

M-CARE Project Team attended International Progeria Children Meeting

Istanbul – 20 /26 September 2014 Annual International Progeria Children Meeting was held in

Bostancı Dedeman Hotel İstanbul-Turkey for the first time with cooperation of Ministry of Family and Social Policy and Turkish

Association for Education and Solidarity of Persons with Disabilities (OZEV) with Progeria Family Circle.

Approximately 100 persons including children with progeria (Hutchinson-Gilford Syndrome) and their family members from

various countries such as Belgium, Italy, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Austria, Holland and Denmark participated in the

meeting which lasted for 7 days. The meeting was aimed at

building cooperation among parents with progeria children and raising public awareness on this under-recognized disease.

Within the scope of the event, children with progeria had the opportunity to have fun and group work and with their peers while

the parents met medical experts and discussed with each other about the health and social problems their children had been

facing. The participants also visited famous and spectacular places in Istanbul such as Topkapı Palace, the Golden Horn, Blue Mosque

and Hagia Sophia Mosque. M-CARE Project team from Ministry of Family and Social Policy

was also present during the event. The parents and other participants from Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, OZEV and

Provincial Directorate of Ministry of Family were informed about M-CARE and its activities. On the last day of the meeting high level

managers from Ministry of Family and Social Policy (including Ms.

Ayşenur ISLAM, Assoc. Prof. - The Minister of Family and Social Policy) attended the meeting and a national press conference was

held at the venue. The event had a large impact on national press and media.

M-CARE dissemination events

M-CARE project presented at a municipal seminar in

Assenovgrad, Bulgaria

The Municipality of Assenovgrad organized a dedicated seminar where experts acting in the field of social affairs presented

innovative methods for lifelong learning to prevent job losses. One of the keynote speakers at the event was Mariya Goranova. She

gave a presentation on M-CARE project emphasizing on the findings made after the need analysis research. At the end of her

speech she announced the forthcoming M-CARE training for PCGs. Participants in the event shared that the project will have positive

impact on practitioners who provide assistance to people with disabilities because in Bulgaria and especially in the small

municipalities such kind of interactive trainings are missing.

The event ended up with an exchange of contacts among participants who are potential trainees in M-CARE programme.

M-CARE project disseminated through an international con-ference in Sofia

On 13-14th October, 2014 in Sofia, Bulgaria the Ministry of Labour

and Social Affairs in cooperation with The Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce carried out an international conference dedicated to

development of social services in EU countries. The event was a part of WIT project which aims are to expand and strengthen skills

and knowledge of social care professionals, through an open and dynamic way to share experiences and exchange information and

views on a national and international level. Participants came from different sectors such as Education and Training, Social Affairs and

Service Sector. Representatives of Interprojects’ team gave oral

presentation about the project and distributed leaflets. The repre-sentative of the European Commission shared that M-CARE pro-

ject is in line with the EU trends in terms of training of PCGs. Other professionals also asked to receive invitations for the

M-CARE training when it is ready.

M-CARE dissemination events

M-CARE in TAIEX Workshop

on Participation of Persons with Disabilities to Political Life

M-CARE was introduced and explained to the participants of Workshop on Persons with Disabilities to Social Life which was

held in cooperation with the European Commission and Turkish Republic Ministry of Family and Social Policy between 13 and 14

October 2014 in Plaza Hotel in Ankara, Turkey.

Target group of the event was representatives of public institutions, local governments, civil society organisations and

academia and the objectives were to assess the current situation

and challenges in Turkey with regard to participation of persons with disabilities to political life, to share good examples of

practices in EU countries and to increase expertise and awareness of related stakeholders in Turkey on alternative methods in

casting votes such as e-voting, use of assistive devices or alternative formats for persons with visual/hearing disabilities in

an EU perspective.

The speakers provided comprehensive information on legal capacity of persons with mental disabilities, assistive devices used

during vote casting and international reports (such as EC-FRA report, ANED Report and OHCHR Report) on participation of

persons with disabilities to political life.

Many representatives from various public institutions/ministries,

universities and CSO’s were present at the workshop. M-CARE Project leaflets were distributed to the participants and they were

informed about the project activities.

M-CARE dissemination events

M-CARE dissemination events

M-Care presentation at ITAG 2014

Stavroula Papavasiliou, Prof. Constantinos Mourlas and Karel Van

Isacker prepared the presentation “Personal care giving services for people with disabilities and older people: current trends and

future directions” which was presented at ITAG 2014, the Interactive Technologies and Games (ITAG) Conference 2014,

Health, Disability and Education on Thursday 16 October 2014 in The Council House, NG1 2DT, Nottingham, UK.

Sector Skill Alliance projects monitoring visit

Representatives of Gazi University and PhoenixKM participated in the Sector Skill Alliance projects monitoring visit (Brussels,

Belgium) on behalf of M-Care. This took place at EACEA premises on 20th October 2014.

M-CARE dissemination events M-CARE project team visited the Yenimahalle Municipality

In the scope of the dissemination activities, the Project team

carried out a visit on 31.10.2014 to Yenimahalle, Municipality Disabled and Elderly Coordination Unit. M-care Project was

introduced during the visit. It was given information about the project aim, activities and outcomes. The meeting was very much

helpful. During the visit, we invited them to participate on December 3, 2014 World Disabled Day activities as one of the

panelist. They agreed this join this activity. They also promised

that they would support M-CARE Project in the future.

M-CARE project disseminated in front of Bulgarian Business Community

On 7th November, 2014 in Plovdiv, Bulgaria the Forum of

Bulgarian Business Leaders organized a seminar on Corporate Social Responsibility. The event was led by Mr. Maxim Behar, a

well-known PR expert. Among the participants were policy makers in the field of social affairs, university professors, and managers of

national and international companies who share the principles of SCR.

All participants agreed that the human resource is the most valuable factor which influences the development of the economy.

Therefore, the investments in training and education of the

working population should be sustainable and of a reasonable size.

M-CARE project was appreciated as such initiative and the policy makers from the Municipality of Plovdiv asked the Interprojects’

team to keep them informed about its development. Furthermore, they shared that the social assistants and the personal ones pro-

viding assistance to people with disabilities will join the online training course when it is available.

M-CARE dissemination events

M-CARE project disseminated on EU level

The Norwegian National Agency initiated a Contact Seminar on Adult Learning held on 12th to 14th of November 2014 in Brussels,

Belgium. Interprojects’ team has received a special invitation to attend the Seminar which allowed us to present M-CARE project.

During the sessions Petya Grudeva introduced the project in front

of guests from different European countries such as Norway, Sweden, Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Italy, etc.

At the end of the first working day the participants were able to

allocate their own market place where they demonstrated the materials and products of their work. M-CARE project was

disseminated through leaflets given to all participants.

Very enjoyable moment during the event was the demonstration of a typical drinks and food which helped for building of a good

team spirit.

As a whole the seminar broad many fruitful contacts and thus the stakeholders involvement in M-CARE project was strengthened.

M-CARE dissemination events

M-CARE dissemination events European Day of people with Disabilities – policy event

The PhoenixKM team was excited to attend the policy event “Building together a barrier-free Europe – Celebrating the Day of

Persons with Disabilities” which took place in Brussels on 2-3 De-cember 2014 at the Charlemagne building.

The prestigious event offered the opportunity for networking with representative organisations from all over Europe.

M-Care at SGSCC workshop in Brussels

SGSCC (Serious Games for Social & Creativity Competence)

project organised a dedicated workshop “Social competences &

creativity as a stepping stone towards personal growth, social de-velopment and employability” on 17 December 2014 in

Brussels, Belgium at VLEVA premises, focusing on the importance of social skills and creativity for people with disabilities

which is fundamental to both social integration and professional self-realisation. This project is dedicated to conceptualisation and

development of social competence in terms of training related to adult education, school curricula and professional development

through the creation of serious games and other exercises that make use of ICT. A set of training materials on social competences

and creativity using 3D scenarios, web and mobile games has been created in English, Bulgarian, German, Dutch, Turkish,

Serbian & Lithuanian. At the end of the workshop the attendees were familiarised with

the M-CARE project concept and received leaflets and more infor-

mation about the project. The workshop was attended by 60 par-ticipants coming from different fields but they were all linked with

support of people disabilities.

M-CARE transnational partner meetings

Second Transnational Partners Meeting

At the beginning of September 2014 The University of Athens

(Greece) hosted the 2nd transnational partners meeting of M-CARE

project.

During the working days partners reported the work done in ac-

cordance with the Action Plan adopted during the kick-off meeting.

There were no considerable delays in the development of the pro-

ject outcomes and the project itself is running smoothly.

The partners made decisions on the finalization of the Survey

Report Findings as well as on the content of the PCG training

curriculum, taking on board feedback received from experts in the

field. The themes of the Modules and other interesting

information will be announced soon.

The next transnational meeting will be held in Frankfurt, Germany

on 21-22nd January, 2015.

Important for professional care-givers How burnout syndrome could influence your work

Burnout is a term used in the article "Burnout: The high cost of

excellence" of the American psychiatrist Herbert Freudenberger in

1974, who noticed this syndrome among his colleagues. It is

characterized by specific symptoms and stages of development. The main aspect of this syndrome is the increased sense of

intellectual, emotional and physiological exhaustion. To counteract this occupational disease is recommended to develop interests

outside the workplace - something that is done with pleasure.

Christina Maslach identifies six main areas of non-compliance:

1. Requirements for the worker and his real possibilities

2. Striving for independence in the work and the degree of

control applied

3. Efforts invested in the work and underestimation of

contributions

4. Absence of positive working relationships with the team

5. Lack of equitable relations in work

6. Ethical principles of the personality and the job

requirements

Phases of burnout syndrome

Honeymoon phase. Your work makes you joyous, you have a

great degree of enthusiasm, you feel "complete", and each task is

within your power.

Reality. You understand that not everything is as perfect as you

imagined it. Your boss gives you more and more tasks. You are

very diligent, you work hard, you are disappointed, and you

become frustrated. Delays and extraordinary tasks start, you go

back home later and later, and the extra hours spent at work are

not paid. You realize that the work does not satisfy you - neither

in social, nor in financial terms.

Phase of disappointment. You are caught in a closed circle –

you become more and more tired and nervous, sharp lose or gain

weight because you have trouble sleeping. You are angry and

blame others for what happens to you. You become increasingly

critical to superiors and colleagues. You feel helpless. Frustration

and depression accompany you constantly. You are often ill.

Alarming phase. You are exhausted; your mental and physical

powers are gone. You feel like you will never succeed, you lose

your self-confidence and faith in yourself. You feel yourself

incapable of any change in your life. This phase is serious and if

you do not ask for help, this can have effects on your health. Your

life seems pretty pointless and you are constantly frustrated. Do

you recognize yourself in this description?

How burnout syndrome could influence your work What should you do? There are four phases that accompany this problem:

1. Identification of the syndrome - to recognize stressors in the workplace as "burning out";

2. To find a way to deal with the syndrome; 3. If possible, to avoid the appearance of the syndrome;

4. Recovery from its consequences.

What to do to avoid its appearance? • Be focused - concentrate on the work, arguing and proving that

you are right; • Learn to say "NO", reinforce your self-consciousness;

• If it is not possible to change your job, at least change your atti-

tude towards it – learn to set boundaries and stick to them; • Avoid jobs where you have to be dedicated;

• Do not let the work take over your life – overtime work will af-fect your ability to do your duties for a long time.

• Find one or two colleagues with whom you can talk and share your difficulties;

• Plan and organize each day; • Maintain an active social life and do not give up your hobbies.

The skill to withstand stress

• Let your lifestyle be healthy; • Eat regularly and wisely;

• Avoid taking caffeine, sweets and do not smoke; • Play sports to be fit enough;

• Give yourself enough rest and sleep;

• Change the timing of your duties at home and at work; • Discontinue certain activities that are not necessary and that

burden you.

If possible, prevent stressful situations or your attitude to stress:

• Keep your sense of humor in situations that may be stressful; • Maintain a balance between work and pleasure;

• Find time for leisure; • Share your problems with friends and family;

• Get to know yourself and the limits of patience to stress; • If necessary, seek professional help.

A healthy lifestyle and measures to improve the lives and health lead to increased resistance to stress. Good relations in the family

and positivism in the workplace, at school and during free time

are part of good mental health, joy of life and good mood.

Consortium Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey – Project Coordinator

Gazi University is one of the biggest universities of Turkey with over 68.000 students including 56.000 undergraduate

and 12.000 postgraduate students currently studying in its 171 academic departments. Contact person: Prof. Dr. Seyhan FIRAT

Email: sfirat@gazi.edu.tr

Ministry of family and social policy, General Directorate of services for elderly and disabled people, Turkey

The General Directorate coordinates the activities on preparing national policies and strategies aimed at prevention, education, employment and rehabili-

tation services, ensuring that people with disabili-ties fully and equally participate in social life with-

out facing any discrimination. Contact person: Mr. Tayyar Kuz Email: tayyar.kuz@aile.gov.tr

PhoenixKM BVBA, Belgium

PhoenixKM is a consultancy with extensive expertise in the field of education and training that targets people with disabilities, but also

their stakeholders, while making use of the benefits offered by ICT.

Contact person: Mr. Karel Van Isacker Email: karel@phoenixkm.eu

INTERPROJECTS Ltd., Bulgaria INTERPROJECTS is a training provider, having its activities

fully directed towards people with disabilities and older people. Their team consists of experts in the field of acces-sibility issues, career orientation and guidance, employ-

ment, mentoring, e-games and networks of employers of disability etc. Contact person: Mrs. Tonka Cholakova

Email: interprojectsbg@gmail.com University of Athens, Greece

The Laboratory of New Technologies in Communication, Edu-cation and the Mass Media operates within the Faculty of Communication and Mass Media Studies of the National and

Kapodistrian University of Athens. The Laboratory serves re-search and educational needs in the domain of new tech-

nologies and their applications in communication, education and the mass media.

Contact person: Prof. Constantinos Mourlas

Email: mourlas@media.uoa.gr

Europäischer Verband Beruflicher Bildungsträger, Germany EVBB is an Umbrella-Organisation of 50 Vocational Training Centres in 21 European and International

countries and is based in Germany. In 2012 EVBB set up a “Quality Charter”, taking into account the actual

developments in European Quality Policy such as EQAVET and EQARF. Contact person: Mr. Fritz-Gerhard KUHN Email: Fritz-Gerhard.kuhn@evbb.EU