INDEED satellite event hosted at the 10th International Conference on Dementia;
organised by Spominčica – Alzheimer Slovenija, Medicinska Fakulteta UL, 14:50 pm – 18:00 pm, Minutes

Agenda

Welcome and introduction
(Alexander Kurz, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, 15 min.)

Dementia in Europe: a snapshot on communalities and disparities
(Charles Scerri, vice president of Alzheimer Europe, 15 min.)

Slovenian dementia plan with a focus on institutional capacities
(Štefanija Zlobec, president of Spominčica, 15 min.)

Dementia as a social priority
(Zvezdan Pirtošek, medicinska fakulteta UL, 15 min.)

16:20 pm -16:40 pm: break

The role of social entrepreneurship in dementia
(Christian Schober & Katharina Weberberger, Vienna University of Economics and Business, 15 min.)

The strategy of INDEED
(Lea Pfaeffel, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, 15 min.)

Roundtable on pilot actions
(moderated by Zvezdan Pirtošek and David Krivec, secretary general at Spominčica)

With support from Štefanija Zlobec and David Krivec at Spominčica (Alzheimer Slovenija), and Zvezdan Pirtošek at the University of Ljubljana we were able to organise the first public event of the INDEED project as a satellite session within the 10th International Conference on Dementia (ASK 2018) at the faculty of medicine in Ljubljana. The conference was an excellent opportunity to present INDEED to a broader audience. This two-day conference (28th to 29th of September 2018) addressed professionals from academia and practice, medical students, people with dementia and their carers. Audience consisted mostly of Slovenes, some speakers came from Europe and Asia. Besides presentations about the relevance of dementia in an European context, and advances in medicine, practical reports about dementia management were provided.

After a short introduction by Štefanija Zlobec, president of Spominčica (Alzheimer Slovenija), Alexander Kurz introduced the audience to INDEED. Starting from the framework of the Danube Transnational Programme, it’s focus on mutual learning and cross-border cooperation, he presented the project’s main objective of improving dementia care in the Danube region. The intervention package consists of three modules (CAMPUS, CONNECT, COACH) and will be delivered in a blended learning format. Also, he emphasised that the target groups for the INDEED intervention are institutions that are involved in dementia care. To evaluate the three modules and the blended learning concept, pilot actions will be held in 2020, starting in Slovenia.

Afterwards, Charles Scerri, vice-president of Alzheimer Europe, outlined how national dementia strategies have been established in Europe. 22 national dementia plans are currently effective across Europe, while the number of people with dementia is increasing. Charles Scerri also specified the major topics included in most dementia plans.

Starting from this European perspective, Štefanija Zlobec focused in her presentation on current accomplishments in dementia in Slovenia. In 2009, Spominčica (Alzheimer Slovenija) proposed a national dementia strategy to the health board of the Slovenian parliament. Since 2016, an action group for the preparation of a “Dementia Strategy Action Plan” is working until 2018 in collaboration with the National Ministry of Health. Other activities for dementia care in Slovenia include self-help groups (since 1999), and 55 dementia spots (since 2017). In terms of education, Spominčica (Alzheimer Slovenija) is active in training programmes for medical personnel, as well as formal and informal carers.

In his presentation, Zvezdan Pirtošek explained how dementia became a relevant topic for social systems. Currently all European societies are experiencing that population is getting older. Introducing an economical perspective, Christian Schober introduced the concepts of social entrepreneurship, social business and impact investment. His colleague Katharina Weberberger illustrated how these concepts can be put into practice.

Lea Pfäffel gave a brief presentation about the INDEED strategy, starting with similarities in national dementia strategies, guidelines and local recommendations from countries of the Danube region. Previous comparisons among national dementia papers showed three common topics that directly link to the INDEED modules: 1) Providing education and training (CAMPUS), 2) Improving cooperation and enhancing coordination (CONNECT), and 3) Developing high-quality services (COACH).

On the basis of these presentations, the participating INDEED started to involve the audience in a roundtable on INDEED pilot actions. Moderated by Zvezdan Pirtošek and David Krivec, local entrepreneurs and physicians shared their experiences and ideas. Recommendations were made that pilot actions should include case studies, sharing the views of different professions.

Media coverage

At the end of the roundtable, Alexander Kurz took part in an interview with a local radio station
Please find the full programme here: https://www.spomincica.si/spomincica/wp-content/uploads/Program-ASK-2018_objava_09.pdf
The first INDEED newsletter will include an article about the public event