FrühLink dementia pilot project in Münster

Pilot project for the study of dementia in middle life in Münster

08/18/2014

Dementia and its most common subset Alzheimer's are dreaded neurodegenerative diseases in old age. But dementia can also occur in earlier years. A pilot project at the LWL-Klinik Münster is now researching dementia in the middle stage of life, according to the latest news agency news „dpa“.

Often, dementia is not recognized as such in patients who are already ill between the ages of 45 and 69 years „dpa“ citing the Alzheimer's Society Münster. The affected simply fall through the grid. In a way, this also applies to the therapeutic offer. „What we offer does not match what young patients need“, quotes the „dpa“ the Chief Physician of the Gerontopsychiatrie of the LWL-Klinik Münster, Tilmann Fey. This should change with the planned pilot project. The two-year sociological research project planned together with the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) „early link“ will deliver results by the end of 2015, which will help the approximately 18,000 people affected in North Rhine-Westphalia, but also relatives and employers „dpa“. Together, the project partners want to develop concrete everyday help for dementia patients in middle age.

The difficulty in detecting early dementia diseases is mainly due to the rather unusual symptoms. The typical memory gaps rarely appear here. Rather, those affected often show behavioral problems and changes in their personality, which are difficult to interpret for fellow human beings. Even depressive moods can sometimes be associated with emerging dementia. (Fp)

Picture credits: Angela Parszyk