Five free online meetings to talk about Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. The initiative, organized by the Alzheimer Federation Italy, is called “Dementia Friends: a Community that updates itself” and from Monday 26 February to Monday 25 March, once a week, will see specialists who deal with dementia intervene in thematic webinars to help family members and caregivers to take care of those experiencing this condition, addressing practical, medical and emotional aspects (to participate you must register by filling out the form available at the link bit.ly/webinarAlzheimer2024).
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A comparison to get advice and clarify
The topics on which requests for information most often arrive will be addressed. “We will try to provide answers to the most frequent doubts, for example on how to manage the entire sphere regarding nutrition in a person with dementia – he explains to Salute Francesca Arosio, psychologist and consultant of the Alzheimer’s Federation – We will shed light on the topic of drugs: on the news regarding new therapies, on potential and critical issues, and on the expectations of many family members who ask to know more. But – continues the expert – we will also address issues that are usually talked about little, despite being equally important and not to be underestimated: one of these concerns children and how to explain to them the presence of the disease in the family”.
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Don’t keep the truth hidden from the little ones
In most cases, in fact, it is difficult to talk to children and adolescents about this condition, especially when it is experienced in their family environment: we tend to keep the truth from them for fear of destabilizing and upsetting them. “But precisely because these are children and teenagers they need to have a clear idea of what is happening. Otherwise, faced with the strange behavior of your loved one affected by dementia, you run the risk of generating a sense of uncertainty and great dismay in them – underlines Arosio, who on March 25 will organize the meeting entitled “Why does grandfather always ask me the same questions? Alzheimer’s explained to children”.
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Explain and reassure
Therefore, resorting to overly generic explanations, for example blaming mood disorders or memory lapses on advanced age, is of little use. “It is of no use because we end up increasing their worries, fearing that the same thing could happen to their parents or themselves in the future – adds the psychologist – It is better to be sincere and transparent by explaining to them, in different ways depending on their age, why grandfather or grandmother has reacted in a certain way, that it is a non-contagious disease and that it is not certain that mum and dad will get sick. Not only that: it is necessary to prepare them for the possibility that the pathology could worsen, causing difficult moments and situations, but at the same time reassure them that the loved one is in a context in which she is cared for with love”.
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How to help children manage relationships with people with dementia
In fact, if the starting point is a family environment in which, albeit with difficulty, the pathology has been accepted and is managed without transferring anxiety and discomfort, the relationship with the person suffering from dementia will be less problematic also for children and young people. “Depending on their age, it will also be possible to resort to the use of tools that help to explain the illness – explains Arosio – For older adults, for example, appropriate texts can be read, which support adults in explaining the changes in behavior as they arise. For the little ones, however, you can use illustrated books, books with many drawings and few words, which depict examples of situations that occur when living next to people with dementia, such as mood disorders or moments of difficulty in remembering names or games usually played together”. In addition to this, it can be useful to talk about the disease even outside the family context, for example at school, creating opportunities for dialogue and discussion. “With the Friendly Communities of the Alzheimer’s Federation – adds the expert – we realized how many children and young people experience the same type of situation”.
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Dementia Friendly Italia
The webinar cycle is in fact part of Dementia Friendly Italy, the project of the Italian Alzheimer Federation created to support the spread of Friendly Communities for people with dementia, i.e. cities, towns or neighborhoods that are more welcoming for those experiencing this condition: the objective is to increase knowledge of the disease to better understand their needs and offer solutions to facilitate their social inclusion, for example by adapting shops and services to their needs, facilitating travel in the city with appropriate transport or ensuring that social activities are organized in in such a way as to stimulate active participation. To become Dementia Friends, simply connect to the dementiafriendly.it website, follow a short information path and answer a simple quiz which will issue the “Friend of People with Dementia” certificate.
Online dating
We start on Monday 26 February with the webinar entitled “Possible home care path after the diagnosis of dementia: who to contact and which services to activate” in which Laura Nervi, social worker of the Generazioni FA cooperative, will offer an overview of the services social and health care for frail elderly people, including those with dementia. “Drugs for dementia: experiences and reflections” will follow on March 4: starting from the debate on the new diagnostic criteria for this disease, Mauro Colombo, volunteer researcher in clinical gerontology at the Golgi Cenci Foundation, will take stock of the potential and critical issues of new therapies pharmacological.
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However, there are two professionals involved in the appointment on Monday 11 March: Gloria Desimone, occupational therapist of Alzheimer’s Milano ODV, will delve into “The management of nutrition in people with dementia: the role of Occupational Therapy”, while Mario Ghezzi, dentist at the IRCCS Cà Granda Maggiore Hospital in Milan, he will focus on oral health care in his speech “Neurodegenerative diseases: let’s not forget the mouth!”. The cycle will continue on March 18 with Antonio Guaita, geriatrician and director of the Golgi Cenci Foundation, who in the meeting “Risk reduction for Alzheimer’s and other dementias: what the scientific research data tell us” will illustrate the main risk factors for dementia and the importance of intervening on them to prevent or slow down the onset of this condition. Finally, Francesca Arosio, on Monday 25 March, will close with the webinar on communicating with children. All meetings will take place live on the Zoom platform from 5.30pm to 7.00pm. The recordings of the appointments will then be available on the social channels of the Alzheimer Federation.