With the City of Pio I am ten communities who joined the initiative in the province of Modena: and national record which demonstrates attention and sensitivity of this territory towards the theme of dementia.
The “Dementia Friendly Community” network is a prospective approach, implemented in various European and North American countries, which aims to support people with dementia and their family members, promote inclusion and social participation, through the involvement of the whole community.
Becoming a “city friendly to people with dementia” therefore means committing to developing an important project which has the task of raising awareness among citizens and combating stigma, through a series of actions that will be progressively implemented. Such as the dissemination of a questionnaire, first of all to people with dementia and their families and then to the general population through pharmacies, doctors’ offices and other key points of community life. Through the answers, provided anonymously, it will be possible to obtain a first snapshot of what the topic of dementia arouses in citizens, thus composing the starting point for building awareness and information actions.
The first initiative – It is no coincidence that the “Carpi city friendly to people with dementia” project was presented during Alzheimer’s Week. In fact, the program of the event includes what can be considered to all intents and purposes the first event of the Carpi DFC, namely the “Health Relay”, which will be held tomorrow, Thursday 21 September, starting at 6pm at the “Piersanti Mattarella” Park in viale Peruzzi. An itinerant circular walk through the urban parks, returning to the “Piersanti Mattarella”, during which participants will be able to chat and receive useful advice for the prevention of cognitive decline from the professionals of the Cognitive Disorders and Dementia Center of Carpi, from the world of volunteering and pharmacies. Upon arrival, cards with suggestions for psychophysical well-being will be distributed.
Among the other planned initiatives, the presentation to the secondary school classes of Carpi of the training project which will involve students to better understand dementia and reflect on the role that children can have as young caregivers and as active members of the community to support the inclusion of patients with dementia. To raise awareness among citizens of demetigenic diseases during Alzheimer’s Week (17-24/9), there is the purple lighting of the Teatro Comunale di Carpi.
The data and the Carpi network of services – There are over 1,800 people with dementia in the Carpi District. The data, referring to 2022, is an increase compared to the previous year (1,555). The management of people with dementia and their families in the area is entrusted to the Center for Cognitive Disorders and Dementia (CDCD) of Carpi, which in 2022 carried out 1,008 first visits, with 504 new diagnoses. The Carpi CDCD is one of the nodes of the local network, part of the broader provincial one, together with voluntary associations, hospital services such as the Neurology of the Ramazzini Hospital in Carpi, which ensures support for the diagnosis and management of complex cases, the Dementia within an Elderly Residence for the temporary hospitalization of people with severe dementia, and at the “De Amicis” Day Center, specialized in assistance with behavioral disorders in people with dementia, according to the model of the guidelines on Alzheimer’s Day Centers .