The European Group of Governmental Experts on Dementia held its third meeting on 10 and 11 June 2019 in Brussels, Belgium. 15 European countries were represented at the meeting, in addition to representatives from the second Joint Action on Dementia (Act on Dementia), the World Health Organization (WHO) and Alzheimer Europe. Over the course of the two-day meeting, the group heard about national programmes of work, as well as European and international workstreams.
The WHO also updated members on the progress made in implementing its “Global action plan on the public health response to dementia 2017-2025”, including progress on the implementation of the Global Data Observatory and the knowledge exchange platform. The group also heard about the first bi-regional workshop on dementia which took place in September 2019. The first thematic topic discussed by the group related to palliative care, with countries sharing their experiences of implementing policies to ensure that high quality palliative care was accessible for people with dementia and appropriately responded to their needs. Additionally, Professor Lieve Van den Blockthe, coordinator of the Palliative Care for Older People in care and nursing homes in Europe (PACE) project, presented the findings and policy recommendations following the completion of the project.
The second major theme concerned the use of data registries of people with dementia. As part of this work, Dr Lewis Killin of the University of Edinburgh provided an overview of different data registries in the UK, including providing an overview of the Scottish Brain Health Register, which aims to understand population level trends in brain health, ease research participation and improve clinical care. The group also heard from the second Joint Action on Dementia which had recently published its conclusions and findings, as the project entered its dissemination phase. The four work package areas covered diagnosis and post-diagnostic support; crisis and care coordination; residential care, and; dementia-friendly communities. The group will meet again in June 2020 in Brussels, Belgium.
