<p>Dementia care in the Danube Region. A multi-national expert survey</p>

Abstract

Background Dementia is a particularly severe societal challenge in several countries of the Danube Region due to higher-than-average increment in population longevity, disproportionate increase of the old-age dependency ratio, and selective outward migration of health care professionals. A survey was conducted among dementia experts to obtain a deeper understanding of the dementia care structures and services in this geographical area, and to identify the educational needs of health care professionals, and the availability of assistive technology. Subjects and methods A standardized questionnaire was sent out to 15 leading dementia experts/clinicians in 10 Danube Region countries inquiring about professional groups involved in dementia care, availability and reimbursement of services, inclusion of dementia in professional education and training, acceptability of Internet-based education, and availability of assistive technology. The authors are the survey respondents. Results The majority of individuals with dementia receive care in the community rather than in institutions. The roles of medical specialties are disparate. General practitioners usually identify dementia symptoms while specialists contribute most to clinical diagnosis and treatment. Health care professionals, particularly those who work closely with patients and carers, have limited access to dementia-specific education and training. The greatest need for dementia-specific education is seen for general practitioners and nurses. An Internet-based education and skill-building program is considered to be equivalent to traditional face-to-face but offer advantages in terms of convenience of access. Assistive technology is available in countries of the Danube Region but is significantly underused. Conclusion Dementia care in the Danube Region can be improved by an educational and skill-building program for health care professionals who work in the frontline of dementia care. Such a program should also attempt to enhance interdisciplinary and intersectorial collaboration, to intensify the interaction between primary care and specialists, and to promote the implementation of assistive technology.

What elements are important in current treatment and care guidelines to provide culturally sensitive care for people with a migration background and dementia? A systematic analysis

“…This study is a systematic analysis of the special discourses held in articles from peer-reviewed scientific journals, in scientifically oriented oral statements from conference presentations, in politically determined dementia plans and international reports, and in medically oriented guidelines on the care of PwM with dementia. Thereby, three models were combined (triangulation): (1) for the collection of statements from scientific articles, the systematic literature analysis by Becker (2018) was used, (2) for the analysis of the data, the discourse analysis by Keller (2011) was implemented, and (3) for the coding, the qualitative content analysis model proposed by Mayring (2014) was applied.…”

“…Then, the category set shown in Table 1 was structured by formulating main categories. Afterward, a rough structure was generated from the main categories, and the content was placed in order (Mayring 2014). A consensus was built, central statements were derived, and deviating or singular statements were excluded (Becker 2018).…”

Ancore De Memorie În Arhitectura Dementia-Friendly Si Limitele Verstatilității Spațiale În Contextul Pandemiei De Covid-19

“…Se estimează că la nivel european sunt aproximativ 8.800.000 de persoane afectate de demență, reprezentând 1,73% din populație (Alzheimer Europe, 2019). În România, numărul estimat al pacienților cu TNC majore este de 270.000, iar prevalența TNC majore la persoanele de peste 60 de ani este de 5,7% (Mehrabian et al, 2019).…”

“…It is estimated that there are approximately 8.800.000 people affected by dementia in Europe, representing 1.73% of the population (Alzheimer Europe, 2019). In Romania, the estimated number of patients with major NCDs is 270.000, and the prevalence of major NCDs in people over 60 is 5.7% (Mehrabian et al, 2019).…”

Old age mental health services in Southern Balkans: Features, geospatial distribution, current needs, and future perspectives

“…Steps toward meeting the specific mental health needs of elderly people in Southern Balkans, the part of Europe that includes Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, and North Macedonia, seem to be inevitable and pressing. Healthcare services in this region are scourged by longlasting deep socioeconomic crises, recession, and austerity policies that have impeded the adjustment of the national healthcare systems to the increasing demand for services for older adults [24][25][26][27][28].…”