Abstract

Maintaining quality of life is a priority of dementia management. The quality of life of people with dementia is primarily determined by autonomy, continuation of individual lifestyle, attainment of personally important goals, meaningful activities and participation at the early stage; by safety, appreciation and social connectedness at the moderate stage; and by comfort, dignity and emphatic relationships at the severe stage. Providing these sources of quality of life requires the collaboration and coordination of multiple professions, including physicians, psychologists, nurses, social workers, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, and physical therapists, guided by a joint person-centred care plan. A multiprofessional collaborative care model for dementia has significant benefits including referral for non-pharmacological treatments, detection of comorbid medial conditions, reduced caregiver burden and lower rates of institutionalisation. Therefore, multiprofessional management is a desideratum in most national dementia strategies or plans. A prerequisite for collaborative care in dementia is multiprofessional education. Training professionals of different occupations in a team framework leads to shared knowledge and principles regarding dementia care, enhanced understanding of each other’s role, and better preparedness for collaboration in daily practice. The EU-funded project INDEED (Innovation for Dementia in the Danube Region) is a transnational initiative to improve dementia care by a multiprofessional educational intervention combining traditional and modern learning methods.