Nieuw Unicum is an organization that provides care and treatment to people with physical handicaps, often in combination with cognitive handicaps. Our basic principle is that our professional support and care should enable people to retain control of their own lives as far as possible and to continue to act independently as much as possible. We offer accommodation (temporary and long-term) combined with care, treatment and meaningful daily experiences by means of an extensive day activities programme.

Thanks to its years of experience with MS sufferers, Nieuw Unicum has a unique positon when it comes to care, support and treatment for people with (progressive) MS. We share our expertise with colleague professionals through training and consultation – so that ultimately all people with MS can profit from this.

Our clients cite various reasons for choosing Nieuw Unicum:

• The quantity and quality of the facilities offered by Nieuw Unicum ('All facilities close at hand, with surroundings and facilities geared to what I can do and what I need');  
• The good quality of the care provided by professionals at Nieuw Unicum;
• The relatively young client population (average age of 40-50);
• The contact with other clients, enabling them to share experiences;
• The MS expertise that Nieuw Unicum possesses ( 'At Nieuw Unicum they understand my illness');
• Limited Period Stay is a unique service that is rated very highly and which can, for instance, relieve the burden for informal carers;
• Extensive day activities programme (more than 60 activities, including cooking studio, woodworking shop, lunchroom).

In this video mrs. Lammersen tells how Nieuw Unicum MS Expertise Centre supports her and her family.

Some 250 clients stay at Nieuw Unicum. The main location is in Zandvoort on a 10-hectare site in the dunes, together with subsidiary locations in Zandvoort and Haarlem. Over 400 staff members and 80 volunteers work at Nieuw Unicum.

Nieuw Unicum offers:

• different possibilities for short and permanent stay at Nieuw Unicum;
• customized care and the use of the expertise and facilities of New Unicum;
• treatment by experienced doctors, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers, speech therapists and a nurse specialist and neuro-psychologist MS;
• an extensive day care program at various locations in the field of creativity, recreation and education;
• swimming in a modern, fully adapted, indoor swimming pool.

Get acquainted with the Nieuw Unicum MS Expertise Centre
You know it better than anyone: MS influences life in all its aspects – physically, mentally and socially. Spasms, pain, fatigue and maybe also problems with continence and cognition are well-known complaints for people with MS. The Nieuw Unicum MS Expertise Centre supports people with MS in all these areas. Indeed, we have built up major expertise in supporting and treating the limitations resulting from MS.

At Nieuw Unicum the various therapists and practitioners specialised in MS work closely together under one roof. The multidisciplinary team comprises doctors, physiotherapists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, (neuro)psychologists, MS nursing staff, dieticians and social workers. All professionals who wholeheartedly use their expertise to advise and support people with MS as well as their carers and therapists.

“Together we find the possibilities, despite the limitations.”

How do we assist people with MS?

Remote care for MS:
The unpredictable and erratic development of the disease MS requires customised advice that matches the complaints at that moment. Sometimes this involves questions that can’t always be answered by a normal care provider, but which instead require special expertise. Remote care for MS puts this expertise within reach, easily accessible through an online coaching program. With the help of a video/audio link, a MS nurse consultant at Nieuw Unicum can be consulted about the complaints presenting at that moment. The patient can remain at home, sitting at the computer at a previously agreed time. The advice is aimed retaining and where possible improving the ability to function independently. The nursing staff have plenty of experience and specialist knowledge, which enables them to offer practical solutions. Remote care for MS is a supplement to normal (medical) treatment and is covered by the basic health insurance.

In this video Twan v.d. Kerhoff explains how he can consult from home a MS nurse consultant via MS Remote care. 

Multidisciplinary Screening
People with MS experience a wide range of complaints, and frequently several complaints can occur at the same time. People with MS may face with spasticity, fatigue and sleeping problems. In such situations, expert advice from the multidisciplinary therapy team at Nieuw Unicum can be a great help. Depending on the help required, the patient is examined by a number of therapists from the team. They then jointly issue (treatment) recommendations. These recommendations indicate what care, support and treatment is appropriate at this time, but they also give insight into how the complaints relate to each other.

“Practical solutions and tips that you can apply at home right away.”

The physical burden is limited as far as possible, because the screening takes place on just one day, or spread over two days if several examinations are necessary. It’s also possible to carry out the screening during a brief admission to the centre. The unique close collaboration between various disciplines leads to clear advice being given both to the patient and to his or her therapists. Moreover, where necessary and desirable it’s also possible to receive additional support from Nieuw Unicum.

Temporary stay
Sometimes, for a limited period, proper care is not available or possible at home, for instance because one’s partner/informal carer is going on holiday. Or perhaps extra care is needed after an admission to hospital. At Nieuw Unicum it’s possible to make a temporary stay and to take advantage of our MS expertise and 24-hour care. The duration of a stay is fixed in mutual consultation and it’s possible, for instance, to visit the centre for a temporary stay several times a year. This can promote independent living at home and postpone a possible need for long-term admission.

Rondom Nieuw Unicum
Articles about Nieuw Unicum that privously appeared in Rondom MS, the magazine of MS Research, are translated in English and you can download them here.
A brochure about the products and services of Nieuw Unicum can be download here.