March was a busy month for two regional branches of the Panhellenic Federation of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders - Alzheimer Larissa and the Greek Association of Alzheimer’s Disease and Relative Disorders (of) Chalkida. During Brain Awareness Week (BAW) 2019, from 11 to 17 March, Alzheimer Larissa took the opportunity to educate the public about brain function and brain health. The President of Alzheimer Larissa, Eleni Kamboura-Nifli organised a series of activities, together with scientific advisor neuroscientist Artemissia-Phoebe Nifli. These were organised under the banner “Brain function-An experiential approach”.
On 11 March, Greece observes the “Clean Monday” holiday and on this day, volunteers took residents at the Municipal Larissa care home on an outing. They spent the morning competing with children in a nearby field and flying kites. On 12 March, a visit to Sxoli Karavana took place, where students learned the basics about brain structure and function. Together with the Municipal Gallery of Larissa- G.I. Katsigras Museum, Alzheimer Larissa organised a special activity for advanced students at the Junior School of Art, to facilitate communication of sensory experiences. On 14 March, a workshop was held during a coffee break, to show how social interaction shapes experience, and that exercising the brain does not necessary involve the pursuit of solitary activities, such as crosswords or reading.
BAW activities concluded on 28 March, at a remote city location, in agreement with the Deputy Mayor handling Social Policy Affairs, showing a mutual interest in dissemination in the area of brain health. Dr Ioanna Papathanassiou, Assistant Professor of Community Psychiatric Nursing, University of Thessaly, discussed the changes normal ageing as well as diseases may have on the brain, and described the signs of physical and mental fatigue or exhaustion, as well as discussing coping strategies, drawing particular attention to quality of sleep. The feedback received was positive and Alzheimer Larissa plans to organise more such workshops in the future.
On 26 March, the Greek Association of Alzheimer’s Disease and Relative Disorders (of) Chalkida, invited primary school pupils and teachers to participate in an excursion, together with a group of older people. Organised by the “St. Irene” day care centre, the excursion used a tourist train, stopping at a number of sights. The idea was to help bridge the generation gap and minimise the stigma and prejudice around dementia. Day-care centre staff initiated conversations relating to old and new information about each sight and some of the older people described how the sight used to be or how it has changed over the years. Pupils asked questions and also spoke about the sight as it is used now. At the end of the trip, the pupils were given copies of the book “Why Grandma doesn’t remember my name” by Alzheimer Athens, which explains dementia to children.
