Welcome!

Welcome at the website of Kicozo – the Knowledge Institute of Complementary (Nursing) Care. We are based in Wernhout in The Netherlands and offer a wealth of knowledge and experience on complementary care / therapies in healthcare. Complementary therapies the way we see it, is not alternative medicine, but provides methods of care inspired by nature and / or our natural physiology, that complement mainstream care and classical medicine and care.

Wellbeing and comfort

The main goal of complementary therapies is offering more wellbeing to patients, offering relief of symptoms and / or side effects, enhancing their strength and healing at all levels as much as possible. Think of AromaCare / AromaTherapy for improved relaxation, skin- and mouth care, reducing symptoms such as pain, distress and anxiety or creating a better ambient atmosphere with certain pure and natural fragrances.

Complementary therapies can be a great source of empowerment. The application of water for instance can help to relax, strengthen the immunity and achieve an improved stress response. Guided relaxation can lead to more balance in the nervous system.

Complementary care can offer a helping hand for people of every age and in every phase of life, from the new-born to very old, from adolescent and student to busy business person . Complementary therapies can be embedded in virtually every health care situation, from home to hospice care, from hospital to nursing home.

Well-known complementary care modalities in mainstream care, that are relatively well documented and often researched are: AromaCare / aromatherapy, massage and touch techniques, AquaCare and (guided) relaxation. Please find more detailed information on our website under this heading.

Madeleine Kerkhof

Madeleine is a former RN. As a nurse, she gained a passion for a more holistic approach. This lead to her studies into complementary therapies in addition to existing care. After leaving the hospital Madeleine had a private practice for many years, and gradually started training nurses and health care professionals in complementary nursing care techniques as well.

Now, over 20 years later, she is a highly respected expert and world renowned educator  in Clinical Aromatherapy (AromaCare), AquaCare and other complementary therapies, specialised in the care for the frailest patients and elderly, in oncology, in palliative and end of life care.

Madeleine is accredited by the Board of Nursing’s Quality Registry, and a member and advisor to the Dutch Nurses Society  and Palliactief (NL), as well as being a member of the American Holistic Nurse Association, NAHA, and other professional organisations.

She feels very passionate about adding quality of life and dying to patients and helps health care professionals to achieve that by offering them safe and science based tools to add to their tool kit with the help of natural aromatics, touch, relaxation and AquaCare techniques for optimum comfort and care.

She is also the chairperson of De Levensboom Foundation which is a registered charity in palliative care that supports vulnerable patients by providing nurses, hospitals, aged care facilities and hospices in several ways.  Her work and generosity is highly valued and regarded in health care throughout the Netherlands and beyond. She was recently commended by Her Excellency the President of Malta for her support to the National Maltese Cancer Fund.

Madeleine is the author of two highly acclaimed books: “Complementary Nursing in End of Life Care” (2015),  and “CO2 Extracts in Aromatherapy, 50+ Extracts for Clinical Applications” (2018).

Madeleine teaches in Kicozo’s campus in The Netherlands where she heads a team of tutors, as well as its branch in Hong Kong, and travels the world to train nurses and health care professionals in clinical aromatherapy (AromaCare), and other clinical complementary (nursing) techniques to enhance quality of life for patients and their loved ones.

(Nursing) Care Training

Our programs during the last few years were highly valued by our students. We had a great groups of professionals from around the globe. They travelled from Hawai, Ireland, Australia, Malta, Hong Kong, the United States, the United Kingdom and The Nethelands to join. Some of their remarks on the evaluation form:

“Unique course and setting”… “excellent location, so unique to have the medicinal garden on site”…”the balance between theory and practise is very good”… “I liked the practicality of the techniques and the relevance to the real situation”… “It was worth the trip from Melbourne”… “Very happy with the written material”… “Madeleine competently and passionately presents in class and out in activities”… “The connections of use of EO products to physical and emotional symptoms in palliative en EoL care on a nursing level much appealed to me”… “Madeleine is a genuine teacher, not just an instructor”… “A life changing experience”…

For our English course program, please visit http://www.kicozo.nl/welcome/training-program/  for all the information.

Hope to meet you soon!

Madeleine.