On February 18th 2021, Alzheimer Bulgaria Association took part in the 12th Panhellenic Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease and 4th Mediterranean Conference on Neurodegenerative Diseases, the purpose of which is to present state-of-the-art research on dementia diagnosis, prevention, and effective treatment strategies around the globe.
Angelina Kancheva, one of the volunteers of the association, participated in the session “Supporting carers of people with dementia in the use of online services: a presentation of a blended training course”, during which she presented the implementation of the e-LILY project in Bulgaria. E-LILY aims to improve the e-health literacy of dementia carers by providing class sessions and an e-learning course in countries with a low rate of health-related internet use (i.e., Greece, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Italy, and Poland). All our e-LILY project partners also presented their findings, where Areti Efthymiou opened up the session and introduced the e-LILY program and the need to improve the digital literacy among carers of people with dementia, Joanna Menikou presented the piloting results of the blended training course in Cyprus, Nikoletta Geronikola talked about the use of new technologies supporting carers in Greece, and Beata Mintus discussed sustainability issues regarding the implementation of e-LILY in all partner countries.
During Angelina’s presentation, the acute need for improvement and transformation of the health and social care systems in Bulgaria was highlighted, particularly the need to develop, implement, and disseminate innovative digital technologies across the country. The active participation of policy makers and the Bulgarian government will be a crucial step in that direction. In addition, a priority during the COVID-19 pandemic is to educate health professionals, people over the age of 65, and the caregivers of those affected by dementia, on the benefits of using digital tools and the internet in health-related decision-making. Alzheimer Bulgaria Association will continue to play an active role in this process, and to promote e-LILY in addressing this issue.
We would like to kindly thank the organizers of the conference for their invitation, and are looking forward to future collaborations!
To learn more about the e-LILY project, visit: https://alzheimer-bg.org/novini/e-lily/.
