Dementia researchers at the University of Worcester have delivered their findings on a major European project to improve care for people with Alzheimer’s disease. In 2011 the University’s Association for Dementia Studies was awarded a tender by the Department of Health to lead the UK’s contribution to the EU ALCOVE (Alzheimer Cooperative Valuation in Europe) project.

More than 7 million people are living with Alzheimer’s disease in Europe, and as such, it became a public health priority for European member states.

The UK and University of Worcester contribution saw researchers addressing the issue of Early Diagnosis and Interventions in a bid to compare national recommendations for the diagnosis of dementia, in order to access a common definition; and to assess different approaches of healthcare systems to develop recommendations to improve early diagnosis.

Professor Dawn Brooker, Director of the University of Worcester’s Association for Dementia Studies, said: “We worked alongside colleagues from countries all over Europe to produce a set of evidence based recommendations for policy makers across the EU on dementia specifically addressing Prevalence and Epidemiological Data, Quality and Timeliness of Diagnosis, Strategies for Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms, Ethical & Legal Issues for Advanced Directives and Competency Assessment, and Antipsychotic Limitation in Dementia.”

The two-year project has now concluded and the recommendations from 19 member states involved delivered at a ministerial level symposium in Paris.

The Association for Dementia Studies at the University of Worcester was established in 2009 under the leadership of Professor Dawn Brooker to develop evidence-based practical ways of supporting the health and well being of people with dementia and their families through research, education and scholarship.

For further details visit the Association for Dementia Studies website.