It is one of the core beliefs of Fundación Alzheimer España (FAE) that information and training are, by far, the best weapons in the strenuous battle against dementia. FAE believes that old conventional wisdom on AD needs to be phased out and that the public should be kept updated on the latest scientific developments, as well as, more importantly, on improved personal strategies. The association also says that public policies and resources must become aligned in a joint approach to treat the disease.
With this objective in mind, FAE tries its best to spread accurate and useful knowledge on dementia. They have recently successfully partnered with a number of public health service-related centres to roll out both patient and carer-oriented training sessions. These training sessions are now providing caregivers with a fair share of relief and useful knowledge, with the added benefit of greater focus within highly-specialised healthcare provision bodies on the issue of caring for people with dementia. All sessions were given by FAE’s own highly-trained staff. The use of non-pharmacological therapies and approaches was highlighted throughout.
During the month of September, two training sessions, of two consecutive days each, were held at FAE headquarters and at Fuencarral Healthcare Centre, a public service that covers the northernmost area of Madrid, where the local population has a high proportion of older people. On 4 October, another training session took place at 12 de Octubre Hospital, an important institution in public healthcare, in partnership with members of a dementia-pioneering team from the neurology department. Such has been the success and scope of these actions that the association is currently in the process of establishing a permanent, regular collaborative effort with these centres to keep “spreading the love”.
