International Projects · Italy, Romania, Greece and Norway
Erasmus+ project PIA looks for new solutions in dementia care
2022
Together with partners in Italy, Romania and Greece, KBT explores how experiential knowledge can strengthen dementia care across very different health systems.
As the population ages, the number of people living with dementia grows, creating a need for new and innovative solutions. In a pilot project in Trøndelag, involving peer workers has given promising results. At the first physical PIA meeting, peer worker Randi presented her experiences from that pilot.
Peer support workers are becoming common in fields such as mental health, but in dementia care this is relatively unploughed ground. Because of the nature of the illness, it is often family carers who use their experiential knowledge to help people living with dementia.
The four partner countries differ socioeconomically as well as in culture and in how elderly care is organised. Norway has a robust public health system that counteracts social inequality, while countries such as Greece have faced economic challenges over the past fifteen years. Introducing peer workers therefore has to start with dialogue and mapping, to identify both opportunities and barriers in each country.
The project's kick-off meeting was held in Trondheim, where the project website was launched. Further meetings are held in each of the partner countries during the project period.
