Humanitude™ training for individuals and organisations in healthcare

Humanitude™ is a care methodology developed by Yves Gineste and Rosette Marescotti since 1979. It combines a philosophy of care with practical tools and techniques that enable both caregivers and care recipients to feel safe, comfortable and dignified during care. Through multi-modal communication, Humanitude™ is the only care methodology that provides the “how” to professionalise care relationships, enhancing care quality, quality of life and overall well-being.

Humanitude™ is developed through extensive empirical caregiving knowledge combined with an evidence-based approach. While care is often associated with illness, loss, and dependency, we believe that the act of caring is fundamentally human; we care for ourselves, our loved ones and our community. 

Humanitude™ aims to bring care back to its basics, focusing on what is simple yet important. It emphasises fostering a positive relationship during care by enabling a positive emotional connection between caregivers and care recipients, all within a pleasant environment.

We work with healthcare organisations and communities seeking a sustainable approach that enhances the quality of care and well-being for both caregivers and recipients. Our services include highly effective hands-on training programmes, including the 4-day Humanitude^® Care Action-Training, where caregivers work with their most challenging care recipients, as well as tailored consultancy services for healthcare organisations.

Caring with Humanitude™ is a skillful practice that involves a set of competencies which can be learned, trained, refined and monitored with evidence-based tools.

These skills are not usually innate but can be cultivated through practical, hands-on training. Through our research and ground work with healthcare organisations, we have observed that providing truly humane and dignified care is not a matter of chance or luck. It is a deliberate and intentional practice.

Embracing Humanitude™ means continually learning and enhancing one’s relational caregiving skills to ensure that care is always delivered with consent, respect and compassion.

Humanitude™ goes beyond person-centred care. It is a care methodology that emphasises on practicality by building upon caregiving practices. With specific techniques developed for positive physical and emotional interactions, Humanitude™ enables caregivers to swiftly enhance their care quality and achieve better outcomes.

The second emphasis of Humanitude™ is the consideration of well-being of caregivers as part of the overall care methodology, recognising that quality care is most effective when caregivers feel safe, comfortable and dignified. Humanitude™ also aligns care goals and practices among multidisciplinary teams. 

In conclusion, Humanitude™ is about being relationship-centred, instead of being solely person-centred. It fosters positive relationships between caregivers and care recipients, benefiting both through a systematic, empirical, and evidence-based approach.

No, the implementation of Humanitude™ does not require additional resources based on our experience and observation. The challenge is usually related to the change of practices instead of securing additional resources like budget or manpower. Humanitude™ emphasises on the review and adjustment of caregiving practices, routines and habits that do not meet the expectations of care recipients, caregivers or the organisation.

We have observed results ranging from immediate to medium and long-term.

Immediate results from training are seen in the form of reductions in combativeness or agitation during care and refusal of care, while medium to long-term results include decreased functional dependency, fewer restraints and lower rates of occupational injuries. These positive results are possible with the consistent application of Humanitude™ care by the entire team.

For successful implementation, we recommend that 75% to 100% of caregivers receive training in Humanitude™. The time required to see results can vary based on the size of the organisation, the number of caregivers and the team’s resistance to change.

Humanitude™ has been successfully implemented across social and healthcare services, such as acute hospitals, community hospitals, nursing homes, day care centres, community and home care providers. 

We have also been approached by various organisations seeking to enhance the quality of their relationships with clients, family members, or among colleagues. We are confident that any organisation can benefit from Humanitude™.

We recommend reaching out to us for a customised plan and budget. 

Humanitude™ has demonstrated significant benefits, including reduced sick leave due to occupational injuries, lower staff turnover, and decreased functional dependency, falls, and restraints among care recipients. This makes Humanitude™ a valuable investment with a high social return, yielding €4.04 for every €1 invested¹.

As proven by research and recognised by awards from governments and universities worldwide, Humanitude™ is highly cost-effective. Quality care is essential and should be a key component of any forward-thinking health organisation's strategic plan.

Humanitude™ training is primarily designed for healthcare organisations. We conduct Care Action-Training for groups of 10-12 people, which includes demonstration and hands-on practice of Humanitude™ care to selected care recipients during the session. This allows existing healthcare staff to experience how Humanitude™ can be applied within the organisation.

You may consider requesting a training session at your workplace. Alternatively, you may reach out to a nearby care unit to arrange a training session that you can join or contact us to explore an individual training registration.