DEAL: Dementia, Education, Approach, Life

“DEAL: Dementia, Education, approach, Life” is an ERASMUS+ KA2 project. The project periode is from 1^st November 2018 to 31^st October 2020. The rationale of the project is the need for strengthening competences and skills in dementia care . This need is evident for all European countries – even though at different levels and in different shades. However, in order to increase skills and competences that are RELEVANT, there must be a link – a partnership – between education and work place. The two parts must know each others’ challenges and strong sides, they must work together to improve the training/teaching as well as the quality of the work in the sector. This does not always happen – and causes frustration for both parts.

Strengthening competences can be interpreted in many ways – in the DEAL project is  included the aspect of the approach to the person with dementia – and that is why the partnership is composes in the way it is: from each of the four participating countries. Denmark, Holland, Italy and Greece there is a partner representing working life (employers of care staff /  nursing homes) and one partner representing educational institutions.

The activities of the DEAL project are the following:

• Workshop on practice in the field of dementia in Denmark, Holland, Italy and Greece: 2 days workshops at national local level in each country, where representatives from education (teachers/trainers) and care organizations (care givers) meet, discuss challenges and possible solutions and develop SWOT analysis. The workshops give recommendation for the contents of training material.
• Development of a training program/training course/training material in two steps with the piloting in between.
• Piloting where the applied method is PDSA : Plan, Do, Study and Act, which is a part of theoretical and methodological framework called  System of Profound Knowledge, developed by  Edward Deming.
• Production of a video aiming at elevating the status of the care for people with dementia. In general, care for people with dementia has a low status. It is considered challenging, difficult and painstaking. People suffering from dementia have a wide range of difficulties such as personality changes, loss of memory, loss of physical functions and agitated behavior. The care is characterized by ethic and other dilemmas for the caregiver, meaning that it is not always possible for him or her to find an optimal solution, and this can be very frustrating.

The partnership will produce a video promoting the care work for people with dementia. The video will show that it is meaningful and rewarding to work with them in spite of all the difficulties. It will show examples of best practice, sparkling moments and situations where the approach is successful.

• Policy report. The partnership will develop a policy report addressing decisison makers in the field of education at national level. The report will contain recommandations and suggestions for improvement of the training/education of caregivers giving care to persons with dementia.

The DEAL project has been selected because it is an example of an initiative where educational institutions and care homes from different European countries with different care systems try so find solutions to the challenge of dementia together.

The DEAL consortium consists of  partners from four countries:  In two of the countries – Holland and Denmark – elder care, including care of people with dementia, is institutionalized: it is the responsibility of society. In the other two conutries  – Greece and Italy –  the majority of those who suffer from this disease are cared for by their relatives, who invest their time and/or money in the care.

The partners  exchange experiences and best practices between very different ways of caring for people with dementia in different countries – including differences in the approach to the person, who needs the care.