The free training, skills development and support workshops for families and informal caregivers of people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia, organised by the Department of Nursing of the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT), started on Wednesday, May 15, 2024.
The workshops will take place every Wednesday until 19 June 2024, between the hours of 17:30 – 19:30, at the premises of CUT, Calypso Building (Laboratory 1)
This activity is an initiative of Dr. Socrates Sokratous Assistant Professor in the Department of Mental Health of the Department of Nursing and Head of the course “The multidimensional nature of Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders”.
The main objectives of the workshops are: to increase knowledge and skills in managing the challenges of caring for the person with dementia in the home; to develop coping and problem-solving strategies; to reduce burden; to improve preparedness in caregiving, confidence and self-efficacy in managing the person with dementia in the home; and to improve the mental health and quality of life of families and by extension the person with dementia they care for.
The educational workshops are one of the many activities of the Department of Nursing that respond to the World Health Organization’s call to achieve physical, mental and social well-being for people with dementia, their caregivers and families through its International Dementia Action Plan 2017-2025.
The proposed actions under the fifth pillar of the International Action Plan, for Member States, are:
α) Providing accessible and evidence-based information, training programmes, respite services and other resources tailored to the needs of caregivers to improve knowledge and caregiving skills so that people with dementia can live in the community and reduce caregiver stress and health problems,
(b) Providing training programmes for health and social care professionals to identify and reduce carers’ stress and burden,
- c) Strengthening the work of carers, by providing social and disability benefits, anti-discrimination policies and legislation, for example in employment, and supporting them beyond the caring role in all settings; and d) Involving carers in care planning, paying attention to the wishes and preferences of people with dementia.
The design and continuous improvement of the educational modules of the workshops will also contribute to the research of the PhD student of the Department of Nursing, Ms Paraskevi Haritou, which concerns “The design, evaluation and implementation of an educational programme for informal carers of people with dementia at home”.
The results of the research, which will be based on an assessment of the actual needs of informal caregivers in Cyprus and internationally, on issues of care of the person with dementia at home, will contribute to the success of the objectives of the workshops and the effectiveness of the educational programme.
The workshops are open to students, academics and the public.
The Department of Nursing is considering organising educational workshops for professional caregivers on dementia as well, following requests made to the Department by various clinics, private hospitals and geriatric centers.
More information about the Training Workshops can be obtained by sending an email to paraskevi.charitou@cut.ac.cy
To register for the Workshops please use the following link https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSelrK0CsOCgANW5hCOAuyLiqXhJ6UxgMvMS7sX2WVOK5011jA/viewform
Source: Cyprus University of Technology | News and announcements (https://shorturl.at/chgT2)