The use of the Internet makes it easier to seek help and medical information for all of us, but especially for people in isolated areas, where access to health services and psychological support is limited. In these cases, the internet can be a lifeline for seeking help. At the same time, however, its use is undermined by many risks: Which medical information to trust; where to search; what to watch out for when we look for such serious information on the internet. For all these reasons, knowledge about proper use of the Internet to find medical information is of the utmost importance for caregivers.
Since November 2018, Alzheimer Athens has been involved in a European Erasmus+ programme, in cooperation with four other organisations. The project is coordinated by Szczecinska Szkola Wyzsza Collegium Balticum (Poland); Cyprus Technology University is responsible for developing the comparative report on health literacy and the training methodology; Anziani e non solo (Italy) will undertake the online platform creation and the dissemination of the project; Alzheimer Bulgaria is engaged in the implementation of the programme in Bulgaria; and finally, Alzheimer Athens (Greece) is responsible for creating the trainer's guide and for the evaluation of the entire programme.
The aim of this programme is to educate caregivers of people with dementia about how to use the Internet more effectively and safely, to find medical information and psychological support. Forms will be created for training caregivers in the use of computers and how to search for and retrieve reliable information via the Internet. Furthermore, an online platform with all the necessary information will be created to allow even the most isolated caregivers to be trained. Finally, the whole effort will be tested in groups of caregivers in order test its usefulness. The first meeting of the group involved in this Erasmus+ programme took place from 12 to 15 December 2018 in Athens, hosted by Alzheimer Athens.