Dementia Demanded better care of patients

World Alzheimer's Day: supply of dementia patients expandable

22/09/2011

As part of yesterday's World Alzheimer's Day, the Federal Minister of Family Affairs Kristina Schröder (CDU) dedicated a detailed lecture on the topic of dementia and Alzheimer's disease, in which she drew attention to the difficulties in the care of dementia patients and the threatening increase in neurodegenerative disease.

As stated by the Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth on the occasion of World Alzheimer's Day on 21 September, the consequences of Alzheimer's and dementia are a particular challenge for the people around them. „Dementia patients are prisoners of their own reality“ and „all the more they need our attention, our warmth and our attention“, emphasized the Federal Minister of Family Affairs.

1.2 million dementia patients in Germany
According to the minister, more than 1.2 million people currently have dementia with dementia in Germany, with two-thirds of people suffering from the most common form of dementia suffering from Alzheimer's disease. According to the 2011 Dementia Report of the Berlin Institute for Population and Development, the number of people affected is expected to double by 2050 if no groundbreaking progress is made in the prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative disease. According to estimates by the Berlin Institute, the number of dementia patients worldwide will rise to 115 million by the year 2050. The foreseeable massive increase in dementia is not only an increasing burden for nursing homes, but also places high demands on the relatives and the environment of those affected.

As the Federal Minister of Family Affairs explained, is „The fight against the isolation of dementia-based lived charity and he must be won every day, every hour and every minute.“ Schroeder explained that dementia is a lot to each family member „Strength, time and money“ any cost. Here, according to the minister, the society as a whole is required, because „Each of us can give dementia patients a piece of joy at the moment, be it in direct contact or by relieving relatives.“ According to this, the motto against the loneliness and the fears of dementia sufferers „Look and ask what you can do“ be so for those affected „turning a lonely time into a handful of beautiful moments!“

Measures to improve the care of dementia patients
Kristina Schröder called the support of the German Alzheimer's Society by the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs and the promotion of offers, which aims to improve the treatment of the disease and its consequences as important steps that were already initiated by the state in the fight against dementia and Alzheimer's to have. In addition, the family care period had been developed to relieve the caregiver. In addition, affected persons and relatives can obtain information on the Internet portal of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs and receive help in dealing with the neurodegenerative disease. As a further success, the Federal Minister of Family Affairs called the significant improvement of the structures for volunteer work and voluntary work. However, as civilian service providers are no longer available for care services with the abolition of compulsory military service, an expansion of volunteer work was urgently required anyway.

The Federal Minister for Family Affairs has also made significant progress in expanding the supply of multi-generational homes since July 2009. The project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs and supported by the German Alzheimer's Association „Dementia in multi-generational homes“ allows the dementia patients and their relatives to continue to participate in social life, explained the Minister of the benefits of this particular form of living. In addition, at twenty multi-generational homes are currently using the association „More time for children e.V.“ Games rooms are set up where young and old residents not only learn to understand each other, but also playfully train their minds and have fun together. The German Alzheimer's Association and the Transfer Center for Neuroscience and Learning (ZNL) are also involved in the project, explained Schröder. Overall, however, there is a need for a significant increase in the number of initiatives and projects to address the growing number of dementia patients. (Fp)

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Picture: Rainer Sturm