Young-D: Knowledge transfer about a psychosocial and behavioural program to prevent and manage anxiety, stress and sleep problems in people with early onset dementia

This project aimed to address the need to provide professional caregivers and students in health and welfare domains with tools on non-pharmacological treatment options for anxiety, stress and sleep problems in young onset dementia. People with young onset dementia face a large health burden which in turn leads to increased anxiety, stress and sleep problems. Although these symptoms are mostly treated by means of pharmaceutical treatment options, knowledge on non-pharmaceutical treatment options are lacking in literature and in practice. Health care providers often feel the need to address these symptoms in the target group but as they are not equipped or educated/trained on possible treatment options, the approach of non-pharmacological treatments remains scarce and in this target group even non-existent. Furthermore, the curricula of higher education for health or social welfare educational programs lack content on how non-pharmacological treatment options should be embedded in practice.

In this EU partnership we focused on increasing the awareness and knowledge of (future) health care providers on a psychosocial and behavioural program (JONG-D) in people with young onset dementia in order to prevent and manage anxiety, stress and sleep problems, which in turn increases heart rate variability (HRV), wellbeing and quality of life (QoL). We aim to achieve the goals of the program within a large EU consortium of 7 partners by following steps: (1) we developed and taught the train-the-trainer module for care partners and educational partners in this YOUNG-D consortium. This trainers’ manual is comprised out of a developed psychosocial program (6 weeks) for people with young onset dementia in order to reduce anxiety, stress and sleep problems (2) all practical partners in this consortium implement the 6 week psychosocial program in their own setting for people with young onset dementia (3) we developed and implemented the blended learning by means of a lecture, a workshop and an e-learning in order for future health care providers to gain knowledge and increase the capacity to implement non-pharmacological treatment options for people with young onset dementia.

All results are published on the EU Project results platform as well as on the project’s website: https://www.odisee.be/en/researchprojects/young-d (1)The train-the-trainer syllabus was developed and taught (2)The YOUNG-D program is implemented (3)Syllabus for the lecture, workshop and e-learning is developed and published (4)the e-learning is developed and published in English. In addition to this English version, also a Dutch, Danish and German version have been published (5)the lecture, the workshop and the e-learning have been implemented (6)A joint report on wp train-the-trainer, wp implementation and wp blended learning was written (7)Transnational partner meetings in Brussels (18 attendees), Aarhus (17 attendees), Assen-Groningen (22 attendees) and Ghent (19 attendees). In between online meetings (6) (8)The closing event (the international conference on young onset dementia, 53 attendees). Information on the conference can be consulted via the conference’s website: https://www.odisee.be/en/international-conference-young-onset-dementia as well as via the EU Project results platform (9)national event on young onset in Brussels on 4/10/2023 (24 attendees).