IPA Task Forces

Early Onset Dementia (EOD)

Chairs:                             Raymond Koopmans (The Netherlands)
                                          Florence Pashquier (France)

Steering Committee     Tor Rosness (Norway)
                                          Meredith Grisham (Australia)
                                          Andrienne Withall (Australia)
                                          Yung-Jen Yang (Taiwan)
                                          Olusegun Baiyewu (Nigeria)
                                          Marjolein de Vugt (The Netherlands)
                                          David Conn (Canada)
                                          Aud Johannessen (Norway)

Background

With the rising prevalence of dementia, numbers of people with early onset dementia (EOD) will probably increase too. EOD is increasingly being recognized as an important psychosocial and medical health problem with serious consequences for both patients and their families. In several countries it is acknowledged that this group of people, in which dementia started before the age of 65 years, has special needs and therefore a need for support and health care services that are particularly designed to fit their needs. However, the number of these special health care services is scarce.

Main objectives of the Task Force:
-   Establishing a network of professionals and researchers that are involved in the care and research of people with EOD;
-   Exchanging ideas between countries in order to improve care for people with EOD
-   Set-up international research projects  

This Task Force was formed in 2010 and had its first meeting on September 28th at the 2010 IPA International Meeting in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. See presentations of Raymond Koopmans and Florence Pasquier.  Due to its global network, IPA may be well positioned to compare care models among countries and continents, and pick up ‘the best of all worlds’.

Progress 

After a successful organizing meeting during the IPA International Meeting in Spain (September 2010), here are our upcoming plans:

IPA International Congress in The Hague, The Netherlands
        (meeting minutes)

Monday, 5 September (afternoon):  The visit to the Florence care group (specialized in EOD)

·         Meeting of the taskforce EOD will take place after the visit to the Florence care group on location (thus not in the congress venue) 

Tuesday, 6 September:  Colloquium on Long-Term Care:  Perspectives from the Community and the Nursing Home

The IPA Task Force on Mental Health Issues in Long Term Care along with our EOD Task Force and Verenso (Dutch association of elderly care physicians) will conduct this program.  Within this colloquium a separate symposium on EOD is scheduled! Further information on that will follow.

EOD Services Survey

The Task Force Steering Committee is preparing a survey on EOD services. We hope to present the first results at the Task Force meeting in The Hague and will address you for further assistance when needed.

For more information about this Task Force, please contact info@ipa-online.org or R.Koopmans@elg.umcn.nl. 

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