There is no official registry of dementia patients in Montenegro, but research by the European organization "Alzheimer Europe" showed that there are between six and seven thousand of them.
In order to protect the rights to aging with dignity and respond to the needs of elderly people with dementia, or people prone to dementia in the north of Montenegro and the psychosocial needs of their caregivers, the NGO "Impuls" from Nikšić and the Institute "Krog" from Slovenia are implementing the project "Protection of the right to dignified aging and prevention of dementia".
As part of the project, two trainings were held in Plav and Žabljak for 25 volunteers who acquired knowledge and skills for working with people with dementia and their caregivers. The trainings were intended for people who have experience of formal or informal work with the elderly, have a desire to help people, have personal experience with dementia patients, and those who work in the field of care and care for people and would like to receive additional training in care and help for people with dementia.
"By acquiring knowledge and skills, volunteers have become promoters of the rights of people with dementia, who will fight to break the prejudices and stigma that accompanies these people in our society. The main goal of the training was that, in addition to acquiring special knowledge and skills for working with people with dementia, the volunteers would also acquire knowledge about the human rights of people with dementia and the psychosocial needs of their caregivers, so that they could provide adequate psychosocial support to caregivers in subsequent project activities. they take care of people with dementia, with provided mentorship", announced the organizers of the training.
The lecturers were Genorio coloring book i Monika Vrhovnik Hribar, members of the Slovenian dementia support association "Spominčica", as well as a social worker Biljana Raičević-Konjevic and psychologist Sanja Topalović, employees of the Institute for Social and Child Protection of Montenegro.
"The training was based on the principles of informal education, in which theoretical and experiential segments were intertwined, with the active participation of all participants. After completing the training, the volunteers will be able to use the acquired theoretical knowledge in practice, by visiting families who care for a person with dementia in their immediate environment. In their environment, they will fight against the stigma of people with dementia and become protectors of the right to dignified aging and prevention of dementia, spreading information about support and protection mechanisms for people with dementia - who and where to contact, what kind of support and help they can get."
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