Athens Alzheimer Association is a non-profit organization founded in 2002 by people with dementia, their relatives and health care professionals interested in Alzheimer’s disease. It aims to raise awareness of all forms of dementia and improve the quality of life of people with dementia and their families.
Currently the Association numbers 4800 official members, has a staff of 50 health professionals and 55 active volunteers and is run by a 7-member elected board.
SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES
1. Day care centers
Athens Alzheimer’s Association runs four Day Care Centers in Athens, offering daily care to people affected with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia. The Centers’ staff consists of a number of physicians, psychologists, speech therapists, social workers, nurses and physiotherapists, as well as administrative personnel.
Alzheimer Athens Day Care Centers’ activities include:
• Memory clinic;
• The Association Memory Clinics offer neurological and neuropsychological evaluation to people over 60 and provide timely and accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia;
• Nonpharmacological interventions for people with dementia include: cognitive training sessions, physical training programmes and other specific therapies (art therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, reminiscence therapy), individually or in groups.
2. Educational programmes
The Association organizes numerous educational programmes and support groups for caregivers of people with dementia.
Educational seminars (eight 2-hour sessions) take place on a regular basis during the year teaching family caregivers how to deal with the practical and psychological burden of dementia.
These programmes focus on caregivers’ specific needs providing:
• all the necessary information about dementia symptoms, progression and available treatments;
• specific skills enabling them to effectively cope with the physical, psychological and financial burden of dementia.
PSYCHIATRIC CLINIC FOR CAREGIVERS
The psychological burden of dementia is an important, yet underestimated aspect of dementia. Compared to the general population, caregivers are in greater danger of developing depression and various psychosomatic conditions. The Association offers psychiatric support to relieve them from their psychological burden.
HOME CARE
The Alzheimer Athens Home Care programme is designed for people with dementia who do not have access to the Day Care Centers’ services due to mobility problems. The programme aims to enable persons with dementia to remain in the community for as long as possible and avoid institutional care. Health care professionals visit people with dementia at home on a regular basis and offer nursing services, physiotherapy and cognitive training to people affected and counseling or psychoeducation to their caregivers.
ALZHEIMER CAFE
“Alzheimer Café” is an intervention for people with dementia and their caregivers. It takes the form of a social gathering and promotes discussions, exchange of information about dementia, sharing of experiences, emotional support and socialization of its members. The Association organizes other activities including: • Awareness campaigns about dementia and memory testing for the public in Athens and in other Greek cities; • Congresses and seminars for health professionals; • Participation in European and international research programmes; • Collaboration with municipalities, the Church and other philanthropic organizations to promote prevention and early diagnosis of dementia.
Source: Alzheimer Athens website
