Improving the mental health of informal carers and professional carers through care partnerships: insights from the WELL CARE project.

Caring for someone can be mentally draining and exhausting. Both informal carers -who provide unpaid care to a loved one outside a formal framework- and professional long-term care (LTC) workers face an increased risk of compromised mental health over time.

The WELL CARE project (2024–2027) aims to guide investment in carers’ mental health and wellbeing by identifying, evaluating and promoting good practices across Europe. It also examines structural factors and develops policy recommendations. The project explores which practices and policies directly improve mental health, as well as those that prevent or mitigate occupational and non-occupational risks.

WELL CARE is grounded in the assumption that integrated care and care partnerships can help reduce these risks, making it particularly relevant to the theme of Mental Health Week, “Stronger Together”.

We will present key findings from a recently finalised report featuring 10 in-depth case studies across five European countries. These practices were selected through extensive mapping and stakeholder engagement, including professionals, users and informal carers. The report highlights their potential in terms of care partnerships, sustainability and transferability.

We will also showcase two innovative examples: Community Circles in the Netherlands and E-Qalin in Slovenia, illustrating community-based and quality assurance approaches.
The webinar will be facilitated by Prof. Elisabeth Hanson, main investigator, with the aim to engage informal carers, LTC professionals and organisations active in the care sector in a meaningful exchange.

https://wellcare-project.eu/