New project iDEM-Support: Help for caring relatives in Germany!

New project iDEM-Support: Help for caring relatives in Germany!

The new iDEM-Support project opened its doors today to provide targeted support to relatives of people with dementia in Germany. This innovation is aimed at caregivers, including family members, neighbors and friends, who face the challenges of dementia care every day. uni-wh.de reports that the iDEM support program is based on the proven iSupport program of the World Health Organization (WHO) and is used successfully internationally.

The special thing about iDEM support is that it is adapted to the specific conditions in Germany. These adaptations include, among other things, linguistic and cultural aspects as well as important information about dementia and the associated behavioral changes. The aim is to provide everyday knowledge and interactive exchange opportunities that help relatives cope with everyday care and improve the quality of life of dementia sufferers.

Adjustments and extensions

An additional module within the program promotes caregivers' digital health literacy to help them find and use trustworthy information. The first tests of the program are being carried out with around 140 carers and carers as well as specialists to evaluate its effectiveness and user-friendliness. The goal is for iDEM support to be barrier-free accessible on various devices such as PCs, tablets and smartphones.

The project will run for three years and is funded by the Innovation Fund of the Federal Joint Committee. The consortium is managed by the Professorship for Health Services Research at the Institute for Diversity Medicine at the Ruhr University Bochum, which works in close collaboration with other departments at the Ruhr University Bochum, the University of Witten/Herdecke and Ergosign GmbH. In addition, practice partners such as the German Alzheimer Society and the “We Care” initiative in North Rhine-Westphalia are working. V. in the project.

Global challenges

The need for such programs is supported by alarming statistics. Loud pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov In 2015, approximately 47 million people worldwide were living with dementia, and this number is expected to rise to an estimated 132 million by 2050. Around 9.9 million new cases occur every year, meaning a new case is recorded every three seconds. What is particularly worrying is that almost 60% of people with dementia live in low- and middle-income countries, where access to care and support is often lacking.

The WHO has already developed a global action plan to respond to dementia, covering the period 2017 to 2025. One of the main objectives is for 75% of Member States to offer support and training programs for carers by 2025. Research shows that such programs have a positive impact on caregivers' physical and mental health. Unfortunately, there are often challenges in implementing face-to-face training in less affluent countries, which is why the use of the Internet for training and support programs is seen as promising.

The WHO highlights the importance of eHealth for universal health coverage, and pilot studies of programs such as iSupport - which integrate some of the essential aspects of supporting caregivers - are already showing success in several countries around the world. The new iDEM support program in Germany could be the key to meeting the current challenges in dementia care.