Introduction

The project partners will carry out a survey on the existing level of support available for people with dementia and their carers in the 25 Member States of the European Union and the accession countries. Such a survey will look at the different treatment reimbursement systems, the level of carers allowances and benefits, care insurance systems, employment related benefits (such as carers’ leave, flexible working time, pension systems) and other benefits. The findings will be presented in a comparative report and discussed with the other network and project partners in order to identify best practices.

Duration

The project started in January 2006 and will end in December 2008.

Partners

Work package leader:

• Dianne GOVE , Alzheimer Europe

Main partner:

• Alzheimer Europe

Associated partners:

• University of Stirling
• Societatea Alzheimer
• Deutsche Alzheimer Gesellschaft
• APFADA
• Alzheimer Keskusliitto

Objectives

European health care systems vary considerably and health inequalities have grown further with the accession of the ten new Member States of the European Union. The aim of this work package would therefore be to carry out a survey on the existing level of support available for people with dementia and their carers in the 25 Member States of the European Union and the accession countries. Such a survey would look at the different treatment reimbursement systems, the level of carers allowances and benefits, care insurance systems, employment related benefits (such as carers’ leave, flexible working time, pension systems) and other benefits.

The findings will be presented in a comparative report and discussed with the other network and project partners in order to identify best practices.

Methodology

The work methodology for this work package differs slightly from those of the other work packages. As for the other work packages, a thorough literature review will be carried out on existing comparative studies on the social support provided to people with dementia and their carers in the Member States of the European Union and the accession countries. This literature search will be supplemented by a survey of national associations on the level of support available for people with dementia and their carers.

In close collaboration with the work package on the socio-economic impact of dementia, a further survey will be developed to identify the direct costs of existing treatments and services in the various countries.

On the basis of these findings, a comparative report will be produced. Also, the working group will identify best practices with recommendations for policy makers to improve the support of carers of people with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.

Milestones

• February 2006: Finalisation of research methodology
• October 2006: Finalisation of literature search and survey
• June 2007: Survey results
• June 2008: Identification of best practices
• December 2008: Endorsement and presentation

Results

The work package will result in the publication of a comparative report on the social support available to people with dementia and their carers in the Member States of the European Union and the accession countries which will highlight best practices in this field as well as recommendations for policy makers.