Description
The project addresses the challenges faced by the families of patients with dementia and the communication gap between the younger and older generations. The project aims at raising the awareness about dementia, enabling young people to become the voice of their relatives and creating self-help and solidarity groups. First, contacts will be made with 6 pilot schools in Sofia and Pleven. Students with relatives with dementia will be asked to join the project. Second, the overall concept of informing the young about dementia will be developed. The book “When Memory is Slipping Away” will be published. Third, 6 meetings will be held in the 6 schools to present the phenomenon of dementia and living with a dementia patient. Finally, a 30-minute documentary on life with a dementia patient will be created and disseminated. The project will benefit not only families of dementia patients but also the general public. The project partner will be actively involved at all stages of the project.
Summary of project results
The project addressed the challenges faced by the families of patients with dementia and the communication gap between the younger and older generations. It contributed to better dialogue in the families where three generations live under the same roof, young people below 19, their parents and grandparents suffering from dementia. The study meetings held in 6 schools in the cities of Pleven and Teteven and the participation in the Facebook Group helped the young people acquire extensive knowledge about dementia as illness and the skills for communication and non-aggressive perception of the status of their relatives. At the end of the project, the surveys showed reduced stress level and anxiety among young people and the other family members. The video and the book created under the project were disseminated and uploaded online and thus the message could reach as many people concerned as possible. Training modules and a Dementia Simulator were created. The Dementia Stimulator was particularly valuable to help young people understand the status of people with dementia. All project deliverables can be used many times for future training of both young people with family members suffering from dementia and parents, teachers and psychologists as well. The Facebook Group will continue to exist and post valuable pieces of advice and comments about dementia. The project involved 180 young people aged 15-19 whose families take care of a person with dementia as well as 120 relatives of such people. The project was implemented in partnership with Civil Association Alzheimer’s Bulgaria. For more information about the project, please, visit:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1597825863765832/
Summary of bilateral results