Romanian non-profit organizes camp for Alzheimer’s patients

Asociația Zi de Bine will organize this month a camp for Alzheimer’s patients and their relatives in Cluj, the non-profit said.

The project is rolled out in partnership with the Cluj social assistance services and the Napoca branch of the Romanian Alzheimer’s Society.

The camp is to take place between May 23 and May 25 in the village of Sălicea, in Cluj county. It will cover activities such as a training program focused on managing problematic behaviors, a cognitive stimulation and occupational therapy program for the patients, music and dance therapy, and various leisure and socializing activities.

The camp, the first of its kind in the country, will cater to 20 participants: ten Alzheimer’s patients or patients with other forms of dementia and ten relatives or caretakers.

A sensory room, allowing activities to stimulate the patients’ senses, will be set up at the Cluj County Community Center. Meanwhile, a support group for relatives will be created in Bucharest. The group will offer participants more information about the illness as well as psychological support.

“As it has been shown that three-four people are involved [in caring] for a person with dementia, the quality of life for at least one million people in our country is profoundly impaired. The results of empirical research suggest that mood and behavior disorders can be reduced through a combination of therapeutic methods on cognitive stimulation, social interaction, and relaxation. On the other hand, if the emotional disturbance of the patient decreases, their daily activity will increase, and implicitly their capacity to live independently for longer. And this is what we aim with this camp, to reduce problematic behaviors of patients and reduce the physical, psychical and emotional exhaustion of the relatives or caretakers,” Dan Gadalan, president of the Napoca branch of the Romanian Alzheimer’s Society, explained.

(Photo: Pop Nukoonrat | Dreamstime.com)