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“Dementia Lithuania” unites people living with dementia, their family members and professionals working in the dementia field.

This platform is being developed in collaboration with a range of professionals that work in the fields of dementia care, support and prevention.
Association “Dementia Lithuania“

Why do we need to speak about dementia?

Project “Towards a Dementia Strategy: Situation Analysis and Public Awareness”

The Team

About
association

“Dementia Lithuania” unites people living with dementia, their family members and professionals working in the dementia field.

This platform is being developed in collaboration with a range of professionals that work in the fields of dementia care, support and prevention.

Association
“Dementia Lithuania“

The Association unites people living with dementia, their family members and professionals working in the dementia field.

It was founded after a non-governmental arts for health organisation “Socialiniai meno projektai“ teamed up professionals from different disciplines to implement the project, “Towards a Dementia Strategy: Situation Analysis and Public Awareness”.

The objective of the Association is to create a Lithuania where people living with dementia and their carers feel valued and supported by:

  • Strengthening the representation of people living with dementia in all areas of public life.
  • Including people living with dementia and their representatives in decision making.
  • Generating and disseminating trustworthy information about dementia, its care and prevention.
  • Implementing training and educational programmes to support the development of dementia services and the promotion of dementia awareness in society.
  • Strengthening collaboration between the public and private sectors in the development of services to support people living with dementia and their families.
  • Creating accessible services and support that meet the needs of people living with dementia and their carers.
  • Fostering dementia research.

Why do we need to speak about dementia?

The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified dementia as a public health priority and encourages cross-sectorial measures to tackle the challenges caused by rising rates of dementia, to support the well-being of people living with dementia, their carers and family members, and to reduce dementia-related stigma and social isolation.

Lithuania is one of very few countries in the European Union without a national dementia strategy, even though the WHO has encouraged member states to develop one by 2025. A dementia strategy is a way to plan a public health response to dementia with the goal of dementia prevention, as well as care and support for people with dementia and their carers to ensure that they fulfil their potential and live well, with dignity, respect, autonomy and equality.

Project “Towards a Dementia Strategy: Situation Analysis and Public Awareness”

The project aims to advance the development of a national dementia strategy by implementing the objectives outlined in the WHO guide:

  • To undertake a situation analysis.
  • To create recommendations for the development of a dementia stategy.
  • To raise awareness about dementia in Lithuania.

The Team

Ieva Petkutė
Lead of the Association
Ieva Petkutė – co-founder of the Association “Dementia Lithuania”, The Global Brain Health Institute alum, artistic researcher and creative director at the NGO “Socialiniai meno projektai”, lead of local and international cross-disciplinary arts, health and well-being initiatives.
Participation in the cultural life of society contributes to health and well-being. I aim to build opportunities for people living with dementia and their carers to access the arts.

“Dementia Lithuania” experts

Vida Ona Danienė
Vida Ona Danienė – Since 2021, Vida has lead the Kaunas Alzheimer Club. Co-founder of the Association “Dementia Lithuania”.
I hope that collective efforts will help to improve the quality of life of the people living with dementia and their carers, so that they can live a fulfilled life for as long as possible.
Deimantė Petkevičiūtė
Deimantė Petkevičiūtė – Social worker, Co-founder of the Association “Dementia Lithuania”. Deimantė aims to develop innovative ways to support formal and informal carers’ skills development.
Raimonda Šoparienė
Raimonda Šoparienė – Specialist in mental health support services in Klaipėda. Since 2007, co-founder of the Association “Dementia Lithuania”. Raimonda has been actively involved in supporting the carers of people living with dementia in the Klaipėda region. She is the lead and one of the founders of Klaipėda Region Alzheimer Club “Atmena”.

Research and evaluation

Dr. Simona Karpavičiūtė
Dr. Simona Karpavičiūtė – Researcher, co-founder of the Association “Dementia Lithuania”. Main research areas: arts for health, well-being and social change; public health; cross-disciplinary and cross-sectorial research and initiatives.
Simona believes that we have to take care of the health and well-being of people living with dementia and their carers holistically via cross-sectorial collaborations and methods.
Prof. dr. Jūratė Macijauskienė
Prof. dr. Jūratė Macijauskienė – Geriatrician, lecturer, researcher, dean of Nursing Department at the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences. For more than two decades Jūrate has been leading local and international initiatives in dementia in Lithuania, providing consultation for people living with dementia and their families. She is the author of the Educational Book “Sergančiųjų Alzheimerio liga ir kitomis demencijomis priežiūra ir slauga”.
Person-oriented, timely, accessible, holistic, effective, qualified services in health and social care must become a norm.
Dr. Greta Pšemeneckienė
Dr. Greta Pšemeneckienė – Neurologist, doctor of medical sciences, researcher, lecturer at the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences. Professional interest areas: cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease, neurodegeneration, COVID-19.
The most important thing is to recognise the disorders, provide timely identification of their causes, prescribe suitable treatment and involve patients and their family members in the planning of care. From a scientific perspective, it is important to expand the understanding of degenerative processes, identify measures of prevention and develop treatment possibilities.
Živilė Vaičekauskytė
Živilė Vaičekauskytė – Neurology resident. Themes of professional interest: neurodegenerative and demyelinating diseases.
Dementia has an impact not only on the person living with this condition, but also on his/her family members and on a range of professionals working in this field. I hope we can support the quality of life of people living with dementia and help them to stay independent as long as possible.
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The project is financed by the EEA Grants 2014-2021 through the Active Citizens Fund.

The project is being implemented by:
NGO Socialiniai meno projektai, Association “Dementia Lithuania”

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