+ 359 898 444 027 office@alzheimer-bg.org Стани член на сдружението

2020 – 2021

2021

Solidarity Between Generations

The first project for 2021 is called “Solidarity between Generations”. Through this project, Alzheimer Bulgaria wants to encourage young people to develop tolerance, and solidarity and, through volunteering, to increase the sensitivity of society towards people with Alzheimer’s and their families.

We want to motivate young people to get involved in various youth and social initiatives and projects, to encourage them to help people in need. We want to attract new personnel to the social and youth work and thus make our work attractive, appreciated and in demand.

As a long-term goal, we would like to raise the standards and quality of social services for people with dementia and
their families. To improve the conditions of accommodation in state-delegated centres by monitoring the services offered. To attract new social workers to work to improve the quality of services for people with dementia.

With this project, we want to raise awareness of the problem of dementia and help to improve communication between the young and ageing population of the country. To protect the interests of the vulnerable people with dementia and give visibility to their problems through the voice of the young. This project involves two volunteers to join our activities for a period of 12 months. During this training period, the volunteers will be able to go deep enough into the subject matter and adequately assist professionals and those in need of support.

We will implement information campaigns and charity bazaars, through which we will be able to promote our cause, raise awareness and sensitivity on the issues of people with Alzheimer’s. In this way, we will stimulate the social integration of people with severe diseases such as dementia, which is in basis of solidarity.

Story2Remember

On March 31st we have successfully completed the project “Story2remember“, funded by Erasmus+. It was carried out by six partner organizations – Alzheimer Bulgaria Association, Romanian Alzheimer Society, Bournemouth University, The Gaiety School of Acting, Habilitas Association, The Greek Association of Alzheimer Disease and Relative Disorders.

The project targeted at health and social care professionals working in the field of dementia, in residential or day care center, family carers of persons with dementia and persons diagnosed with dementia.

Using theater and storytelling provides a way for people with dementia, along with their carers, to express themselves and socialize with others in a fun and supportive group. This is also a way to create dementia-friendly communities/institutions, provides topics of conversation and opportunities for connecting with other people.

The project results include:

  • Booklet: Creative drama and storytelling in dementia care: information for practitioners – a report;
  • Handbook: Programme handbook – training programme using creative drama and storytelling, targeting health and social care professionals for a better support for older people with dementia;
  • Toolkit: Storytelling and alternative communication methods in dementia care: toolkit for family members;
  • Policy Recommendations: Policy recommendation for creating dementia-friendly communities/ institutions in terms of raising awareness and integrating tools as creative arts in the care of persons with dementia.

You can download all the products here.

3D4elderly

In 2021 Alzheimer Bulgaria launches an Erasmus+ project “3D4elderly”. The project aims to create innovative learning pathways that increase the quality of the work of caregivers and staff members dealing with people with Alzheimer and elderly people with dementia and also to raise the quality of life of people with dementia by using 3D technology.

The project introduces an innovative approach to tackle one of the first symptoms of a person with Alzheimer’s: short-term memory loss. Some research states that it is possible, in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, to recover lost memories by stimulating specific hippocampal neurons, the area of the brain responsible for recording short-term memories.

For this reason, people with Alzheimer’s need cognitive stimulation exercises that activate memories, language, perceptions, reasoning, creativity, sociability and above all well-being. The use of 3D printing will help these people by offering them a multisensory experience thanks to the tools created.

The project team is composed by 4 partners from 4 different European countries (Italy, Spain, Bulgaria and Lithuania) and with various profiles: 3D printing experts (CEIPES and CETEM) close to the academic and business sector, and non-governmental voluntary organizations working in the interest of the community – BETI a Research Institute, working in the field of ICT and education technologies with target groups composed of adults, and Alzheimer Bulgaria, the partner who works with people with Alzheimer’s and dementia, responsible to introduce and implement the innovation 3D printing methods to them and their caregivers.

2020

During 2020, the Alzheimer’s Association Bulgaria managed to implement only one project: “Advocacy campaign to offer, adopt and promote the concept of a specialized day center and other related services in the community for people with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.”

The project is implemented in cooperation with the Alzheimer’s Compassion Bulgaria Foundation. It is funded by the ACTIVE CITIZENS FUND BULGARIA under the EEA FM 2014-2021.

The main goal of the project is to develop a concept for specialized care in the Day Care Center for people with dementia. The experience of European countries, which have had Day Care Centers for people with dementia with a high level of care for years, will be studied. The final concept will help the government to organize the care in the Day Center at European level. The project is funded with 8,360 euros.

The project started in July 2020 and should end in June 2021.