Description
The project suggests the operational function of 17 Dementia Consultation Centers providing prevention and intervention programmes for the general population in Athens and Cyclades. The implementation of the project will take place as follows: a) Protocol Development and Scientific Design of the intervention by an Expert group, b) Establishment and Training of the Implementation Group which will consist of 11 health professionals (5 social workers, 1 Neurologist, 2 Ergo therapists, 3 Psychologists), c) Operation of Dementia Consultation Centers which will provide services for dementia prevention (screening of cognitive abilities, cognitive training groups of healthy older people, awareness campaigns) and intervention programmes for people with dementia (Memory Clinic, non-pharmaceutical interventions for people suffering from dementia and their carers) at the local community, d) Distance e-learning Courses for health professionals in Greece to further promote the impact of the project, e) Dissemination of the results and f) Evaluation of the project.
Summary of project results
According to the 2015 report of Alzheimer Disease International, 46.8 million people are suffering from dementia worldwide and 10 million in Europe. In Greece, 200.000 dementia cases are reported, bringing dementia in to the spotlight, as it influences a large percentage of people directly and indirectly. It is estimated that around 90% of people with dementia are cared for at home by their families. Carers are susceptible of mental and physical illnesses, loneliness, social isolation and financial hardships. Taking into consideration the lack of dementia services in Greece, the project «Development of Dementia Consultation Centers promoting prevention and intervention in urban and rural areas in Greece» aims to implementing a socially innovative model of dementia health care services provision. The project developed and implemented 13 Consultation Centers, 9 based in Athens and 4 in Cyclades, with the collaboration of municipality social services and facilities of selected areas in Greece. • In total, 1991 people have visited the Dementia Consultation Centers, number that exceeds in a percentage of 153% the initial users estimation (1300 users in total). The services that were provided during the lifetime of the project included: • Neuropsychological screening and neurological examination: 1868 screening tests were conducted by trained psychologists of the implementation team and 592 neurological assessments at the Dementia Consultation Centers in Athens. • Cognitive Stimulation groups of people with Mild Cognitive Impairment and normal Cognition: 14 groups of cognitive stimulation have been organized, further analyzed into 361 sessions and 198 participants in total. • Carers psycho educational support: 132 individual sessions have been organized, with the participation of 105 carers and 23 group sessions with the participation of 43 carers. In parallel, 92 care professionals have participated in training sessions about dementia topics and the Dementia Consultation Centers Model. Furthermore, almost half of them have participated on the job training in order to facilitate the sustainability of the Centers after the end of the project. Additionally, 236 care professionals from all over Greece have registered to the eLearning course developed in the framework of the project. During the lifetime of the project, 207 networking and dissemination actions organized in an effort to communicate the aims of the programme.
Summary of bilateral results