Focus on general public:Brain Week
2019 was the 12 year of the World Brain Week campaign. The Slovak Alzheimer´s society (Slovenská Alzheimerova spoločnost) organised campaign events involving 194 organisations and 8,027 participants from all regions of Slovakia. A wide range of activities took place, aiming to improve understanding of the functioning of the brain and also to explore the possibilities of stimulation and development of the brain at any age. Open days, creative workshops, lectures and discussions were carried out by medical facilities, schools, libraries, facilities for older people, non-profit organisations, and regional public health authorities.
Focus on professionals:International conference on non-pharmacological interventions
In September, for World Alzheimer's Month, in what has now become a tradition, the Slovak Alzheimer´s society organised the conference “Senior´s training and non-pharmacological intervention for Alzheimer´s disease”. Over 2 days, 132 participants took part in 16 lectures and 8 workshops. These are the numbers from the 11 year of this conference. Each year, the conference provides a great opportunity to exchange up-to-date information in the field of non-pharmacological interventions, among professionals from the health and social sectors.
Focus on families:Support of family caregivers
An important focus of the Slovak Alzheimer´s society is providing support for people with dementia and their families. Currently, in seven regions of Slovakia, dementia support groups are regularly organised for family caregivers of people with dementia, by volunteer workers from the Slovak Alzheimer´s society. Also, education for family caregivers was developed by workers at the SAS-MEMORY Centre, which created videos and organised face-to-face workshops for family caregivers who are providing home care for people with dementia.
