About the project
Populations around the world are rapidly ageing. However, during the last 50 years in Europe there has been an increase in diseases linked to ageing, such as dementia. It is estimated that by 2050 there will be approximately 18.66 million Europeans with a dementia disease.
People who are affected by dementia often face cognitive, behavioral and psychosocial difficulties. These difficulties often pose a challenge for engaging socially, reinforcing their effects and reducing personal well-being. As well as the impact on the person, dementia also has a considerable effect on those supporting the person. Most care for people with dementia is provided by family and friends—‘carers’. Most carers feel unprepared to take on this new role. Caring often may cause physical and mental health problems to caregivers caused by stress that caring for someone with dementia brings. Moreover, work and other relationships suffer. Left with inner conflict and resentment, they neglect their own needs. Caring is also a difficult and stressful task for the professional caregivers and they need more knowledge/tools. The need of training for caregivers of people affected by dementia will be covered by the DCare project, through the creation of educational program in the form of blended learning, where the caregivers of people with dementia (professionals and non-professionals), will be able to acquire basic skills on how to help people with dementia and how to avoid feeling isolated. The program can be used in VET education and training, in-work training for care staff and volunteers and in adult lifelong learning.
The partnership consists of different types of organizations: public and private VET institutions, public employers of professional caregivers, NGOs and SMEs from Italy, UK, Denmark, Spain and Greece and a European-wide professional association with its base in Brussels, Belgium. This provides a unique opportunity to find creative solutions together.
The Target Groups
The target groups for this project are professional carers, non-professional carers (often family members/friends/volunteers), students in health and social care, training providers – teachers, trainers and other workers who will be trained in how to work with dementia sufferers and their caregivers, people living with dementia.
More than 2.000 people will benefit indirectly from, or will be the target of the activities organized by, the project. Following the teacher training, two courses will be developed; the first will involve professional carers who want to work with dementia sufferers, training in CST and knowledge about setting up groups; the second will involve the non-professional carers in order to help them help and assist the person with dementia, to give them a break (respite).
The improvement of qualifications of professional carers is one of the priorities of the D-Care project, as through their training they will gain new professional competences, which will enable them to deliver quality services; People with dementia themselves will be involved as co-developers in the process. Also, the use of ICT and digital area will enable teachers and learners (professionals and non-professionals) to improve their digital skills.
The Expected Results
The D-Care project is expected to bring positive and long–lasting effects on the participants, as it is intended to produce the following outcomes:
- Improve knowledge on dementia and its consequences, preserving quality of life, autonomy and the rights of people living with dementia and their caregivers.
- More active participation in society and more positive attitude towards EU values At a systemic level, D-Care project it is expected to response in a positive way to the policies of
Europe concerning:
• Active citizenship
• Promotion of social inclusion and non-discrimination
• Lifelong learning
The main sustainable effects of the project will include: increased focus on the benefits of innovative dementia care for people living with dementia which includes improved health and well-being and sustainable improvement in support and respite given to carers.