Dementia Care

According to the Report of the World Health Organization and Alzheimer Disease International, dementia is a worldwide public health priority. The rapid aging of European society makes the scenario dramatic from the social point of view and the costs of the disease, so much so that in 2011 the European Parliament asked that dementia become a health priority for the Member States, invited to develop specific national programs and to make research funds accessible. While waiting for scientific research to make available new possibilities for intervention, training and updating are one of the main resources for "taking care" of demented patients. The project is developed thanks to the alliance of knowledge and cooperation between higher education institutions, training agencies, clinical and research centers, which share and develop knowledge, good practices and methodologies to achieve the common goal of improving the quality of training of educators working in the dementia sector. DementiaCare focuses on the adoption of non-pharmacological intervention strategies, in particular on the use of art therapy, recognized as a technique capable of reducing the depressive and behavioral symptoms of the clinical picture and of improving the patients' overall quality of life.

The main objectives of the DementiaCare method are:

1. Provide a comprehensive training program for educators, so that they can gain a deep understanding of the nature of dementia and the needs of the patient and provide them with the right skills necessary for work in the health and social sector;
2. Evaluate the effectiveness of a specific training curriculum;
3. To disseminate knowledge and evidence on how a highly specialized training curriculum based on the use of "Art Therapy" can be applied and best implemented in the treatment of dementia and how it can improve the quality of life of people with dementia.
4. European sharing of experiences, through staff exchanges, training courses, joint activities, etc.

The indicators used to measure the objectives of the project will be: - Number of trainers and professionals participating in the training course. - Questionnaires and surveys at the beginning and end of the project to assess the evolution of the participants during the project activities - System of recognition and validation of knowledge, established during the project, to assess the impact of training courses on the participants and the level of skills acquired.

DementiaCare proposes a highly innovative model, as it involves leading experts in the field of neurodegenerative diseases, in creating a highly specific curriculum based on the use of art therapy in the early stages of the disease. The proposed project combines innovation with the satisfaction of an existing and neglected health need.

DementiaCare's long-term goal is to develop a training methodology based on the use of art therapy, understood as a treatment tool capable of reducing the behavioral symptoms of dementia applied in the early stages of the disease and to disseminate a greater knowledge of complexity of the clinical picture of dementias.

A concrete result will be the transposition of online teaching materials on the platform, where all the training modules and rehabilitative tools developed during the project will be inserted. The materials will be available without time limits even after the end of the project, for free use. The expected results in dementia service provision are the strengthening of the professional, creative and personal skills of educators. In the long term the expected result is a new, innovative and highly specialized approach for educators working in the dementia sector. Through the dissemination of the results obtained, the project is expected to have a strong impact that is located on three levels: academic; professional and social.