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Description
In the project, we address the issue of specific care for people suffering from Alzheimer''s disease and other types of dementia and its impact on informal caregivers. Care is often provided by related ones and negatively affects their lives (stress, worries about the deteriorating condition of loved ones, time, and physical strain). Through educational activities, we will improve the theoretical and practical knowledge of these informal caregivers and family members in the field of care for patients with Alzheimer''s disease and other types of dementia, awareness of early symptoms, treatment options, etc. Practical workshops will increase their competencies and skills, including patient nutrition or physiotherapy. Through individual counseling, we enable informal caregivers to consult their own problems related to the care of a demented person with experts and find suitable and effective solutions with them. In support groups with expert guidance, carers will share knowledge and receive objective problem-solving support. We will create a background for these educational and consulting activities by mutual cooperation with partner organizations. In partnership with the Norwegian organization working on this issue, examples of good practice and transfer of experience between the two countries will be exchanged. We will also accompany the project with an awareness campaign, focusing mainly on social networks and virtual space, and events for the general public, drawing attention to the issue and supporting the destigmatization of people suffering from dementia.
Summary of project results
The implemented project was focused on support area B "Increasing the awareness of family members and informal caregivers about the early detection of dementia symptoms, about the method of treatment and about activities that contribute to slowing down the development of the symptoms of the disease.
As a result of the ever-increasing average human life expectancy, the number of people living to old age is increasing. This is connected to the provision of specialized care in the event that a person suffers from a certain type of illness. Dementia and Alzheimer''s disease are among the most common diseases.
The implemented project dealt mainly with 2 target groups. The key target group are informal caregivers of people with Alzheimer''s or another type of dementia. Educational theoretical and practical activities, both group and individual, were implemented for informal caregivers. In addition, specialized websites were set up, which contain not only theoretical and practical information, but also outputs from the project and documents. Another supported target group was the general public. Educational and educational campaigns were implemented for this target group in order to increase public awareness of Alzheimer''s and other types of dementia and to destigmatize it in the eyes of the public.
During the implementation of the project, there were no problems that would fundamentally affect the implementation of the project. During the two-year implementation of the project, it was sometimes very difficult to plan all the activities (lectures, workshops and public events) on certain dates and so that they did not overlap with each other.
As part of the two-year project, the following activities took place in Ostrava and Olomouc: excursions, interactive lectures, practical workshops, support groups for caregivers of people with dementia and other educational events, which were attended by several hundred people. The website www.zijemesdemenci.cz, profiles on social networks, instructional videos, information brochures for the public and caregivers were created. Activities implemented as part of the project in the period from 1/12/2021 to 31/1/2024:
o Awareness campaign "Prevention is better than dementia"
o Series of lectures for the general public
o Excursions for the public to the ALZHEIMER HOME Ostrava
o Interactive lectures for informal carers
o Practical workshops for informal carers
o Support groups for carers
o Individual counseling
o Professional leaflet
o Project website o Information brochures for the public o Educational videos
o Translations of certain outputs within the implemented project
The implemented project improved theoretical and practical knowledge about dementia among caregivers, family members and, on a wider scale, other groups of the population. Thanks to awareness campaigns and public events, information about dementia and Alzheimer''s disease has reached a large number of people from the general public.
The implemented project brought an improvement in theoretical and practical knowledge about dementia, especially about Alzheimer''s disease, early symptoms, treatment, complications and care for patients with dementia among informal caregivers, family members and, on a wider scale, other groups of the population and the public. During the implementation of the project, the informal caregivers were provided with the necessary supply of professional as well as practical information and skills, which will make it easier for them to provide better care for their loved ones and at the same time can improve their own life (reduction or better management of stress, more time for personal life, etc.).
Through educational and counseling activities in the project, participants can better and in time recognize the symptoms of an emerging disease, adapt care to current needs or seek professional help or arrange a suitable intervention to stabilize the patient''s condition.
An important area of the implemented project was the creation of websites with comprehensive information about the problem being solved and the creation of educational videos that ensure better access to information about the given problem.
The purpose of the project was primarily to increase awareness of the disease of dementia, to carry out activities and create an information structure that helped people in a life situation when a loved one becomes ill with, for example, Alzheimer''s disease. Family caregivers and informal caregivers often did not know how to approach their loved ones and which services could help them so that the quality of life of the sick person and themselves was as good as possible. Through the project and all its available outputs, those who need and are interested in the given area have the opportunity to still obtain important information.
Number of participants in individual activities:
o Awareness campaign "Prevention is better than dementia" - 235 people participated.
o Series of lectures for the general public – 204 people participated.
o Excursion for the public to the ALZHEIMER HOME Ostrava – 30 people participated.
o Interactive lectures for informal caregivers – 132 people participated
o Practical workshops for informal carers – 157 people participated.
o Support groups for caregivers – 104 people participated.
o Individual counseling – 82 people participated.
According to the implemented activities and the number of participants, it can be said that around 900 people participated in the activities for the entire duration of the project.
Summary of bilateral results
Through the involvement of the foreign partner organization Aldring og Heles – Nasjonal kompetansetjeneste, information, expertise and experience were transferred from Norway. The information obtained was used in the creation of websites and in the information on these websites. Furthermore, the information obtained was used in the creation of lecture topics and workshops for caregivers and family members of patients with dementia and also in the creation of lectures for the public.His role was in creating presentations and handing them over to the partner, the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Ostrava. Furthermore, in the area of promoting the issue of dementia at workshops and lectures from the perspective of the Norwegian partner.