Innovative mobile adults training for family members of people suffering of dementia Erasmus Project

Project Title

Innovative mobile adults training for family members of people suffering of dementia

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Health and wellbeing; Open and distance learning

Project Summary

PURPOSE:
Dementia is a decline in mental ability that usually progresses slowly, in which memory, thinking, and judgement are impaired, and personality may deteriorate. It usually develops slowly, and affects mainly those aged over 60.

It is one of the most important causes of disability in the elderly in Spain, Bulgaria and Turkey (source; World Health Organisation) with the increasing proportion of the elderly in many populations, the number of dementia patients will rise also (expected to raise with 12% in the next 10 years in Spain where around 818,347 people are affected – source https://www.alzheimer-europe.org/Policy-in-Practice2/Country-comparisons/2013-The-prevalence-of-dementia-in-Europe/Spain; 20% in the next 10 years – source for Bulgaria: https://alzheimer-bg.org/dementia/research/, source for Turkey – https://www.titck.gov.tr).

The most common causes of dementia in EU are Alzheimer’s disease (about 50-70% of cases), the successive strokes which lead to multi-infarct dementia (about 30%); other causes are Pick’s disease, Binswanger’s diseases, Lewy-Body dementia and others.

It is clear there that a big burden for the families is to support their family member with dementia. Especially for the adult population this is a huge stressful moment especially taking into consideration that there is no enough information available towards the behavioural and attitudinal challenges which the living with a person with dementia caused.

In addition, there are no existing non-formal trainings on that topic which presents in an understandable way the strategies and tips that could support the adult generation into the process of supporting their family member with a dementia. Caring for a person with dementia can be a devastating task. That person may be a parent or grandparent or a family relative (uncle, aunt etc.) who has been known and respected and it is difficult watching the deterioration. In the later stages there may be physical problems, including the indignity of incontinence. The person may seem most ungrateful and even aggressive and this can be hurtful for the person who is supporting him (if a caregiver is not involved).

Usually the caring person (in many cases adult because other family members are working at the same time) should be prepared to react adequately in the following cases: • Cognitive impairment which is affecting: Memory, Language, Attention, Thinking, Orientation, Calculation, Problem-solving ability
• Behavioural problems: Changes in personality, Changes in social behaviour, Emotional changes, Hallucinations and delusions, Aggression, Depression, Agitation
• Difficulty with daily living: Dressing, Driving, Eating and Shopping.

AIMS & OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT:
– to raise the awareness among partners countries and on EU level about the importance of provision of informal training to adult family members to understand and provide better support to their family member with dementia;
– to enable the acquisition of additional key and transversal competences of adult population in a informal setting. – to provide reliable material to adult volunteering organisation who are supporting adult volunteers that care about alone elderly with dementia.
– to develop online and mobile learning material which consist of proven training content that will avoid misleading information that is appearing onto internet on the topic – to decrease the social and economic burden to the families of suffering patients.

SOLUTION: Therefore, the project will aim to develop the following outputs which will support the adult awareness and preparation (adult training) to support their family members with dementia:
– IO1: Adult guide “How to support your family member with dementia”
– IO2: Wizard style open mobile application – 24/7 offer help on solutions per specific problem
– IO3: Guidance Toolkit for Adult trainers with methodological support on delivery of the DEMOER course

TARGET GROUPS:
a) as learners: adults (aged 16-29) who are caring (non-formally) about their family member affected by dementia;
b) as trainers: Adult trainers and educators, coordinators/managers of volunteering NGOs who are provided non-formal care services;

BENEFICIARIES from the improved services: people with dementia, their families, NGOs/Unions of people with disabilities and elderly people, policy makers in the field of health and social care.

TRANSFERABILITY: The outputs can become a main training material for NGOs and volunteering organisations who are supporting organisation of adult non-formal caregiving trainings.

CONSORTIUM: 5 PARTNERS (ES, BG, BE CY & TR) consisting of adult training providers from Department of Psychology of Higher educational institution on tertiary level, National umbrella ogranisation of professionals working with people with disabilities, Inclusion institute and 2 consulting bodies, offering know-how and digital expertise on solutions for maintaining the brain functions.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 144112 Eur

Project Coordinator

UNIVERSIDAD COMPLUTENSE DE MADRID & Country: ES

Project Partners

• ULUSLARARASI SUMUL DERNEGI
• PHOENIXKM BVBA
• G.M EUROCY INNOVATIONS LTD
• SDRUZENIJE NA NA RABOTESHTITE S HORA S UVREZHDANIYA
• REHAB EXP SAGLIK MUHENDISLIK DANISMANLIK LTD STI