"See You at the Café," a virtual meeting place for Alzheimer's patients. To challenge loneliness.

An online helpline aimed at connecting Alzheimer's and Parkinson's patients with family members, caregivers, and experts. This helps improve their quality of life, reduce stigma, and combat loneliness. It also offers in-person meetings in five municipalities in the Catanzaro area.

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I'll see you at the cafe

A project for people affected by all forms of dementia and neurodegenerative diseases, starting in Calabria and reaching the entire country, thanks to the use of an online platform and a dedicated website.

ALSO READ: Caregiver Whisper: A blog that humorously describes the relationship between a son and his mother with Alzheimer's.

"SEE YOU AT THE COFFEE" PROJECT

“See you at the café” connects and networks the "Ra.Gi." association, the "Co. Ri. SS" social cooperative, and the "PerLe Demenze. Famiglie Unite Calabria" association and all users who feel the need for a listening and mutual aid service. The model is that of Alzheimer's Cafe, places born in 1997 from an idea by the Dutch psychologist Bère Miesen, where people with Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, or other neurodegenerative diseases can meet with family members and professional caregivers, with the aim of spending hours of stimulation and conversation in a welcoming and listening atmosphere.
In Alzheimer's Cafés, now moving to an online platform, people can combat isolation, maintain social connections, break down the stigma that surrounds them, and share problems they encounter in their daily lives along with the strategies and solutions they've found. All this while raising awareness about this type of disease.

Structured in the form of streaming meetings with specifically trained operators and experts in various fields of intervention, The project aims to offer concrete support to families and patients, improving the quality of life for those who care for them on a daily basis. Online meetings will begin next October, but they aren't intended to be limited to a single national virtual meeting. In-person meetings are also planned in eight municipalities in the Catanzaro area, exploring the possibility of offering a service to the surrounding communities.
In parallel, completely free listening centers will be activated by October in five municipalities in the Catanzaro area: Botricello, Chiaravalle Centrale, Pianopoli, Soverato and Tiriolo, fully respecting the safety conditions of the anti-Covid protocols.

TO KNOW MORE: The Rediscovered Village: A Village Where Alzheimer's Patients Reconnect with Their Daily Routines—Technically and Safely (Video)

ONLINE ALZHEIMER'S SUPPORT

Presented last September 11th in Catanzaro, the project can be accessed through the free access platform www.formazioneteci.com: the meetings will also see the pro bono participation of, among others, neurologist Ferdinando Schiavo.
Elena Sodano, president of the "Ra.Gi." association, states regarding the spirit of the project: "We live in a sort of general hypnosis where the happy man feels good because the 'unfortunates' bear their burdens in silence. It's like saying 'what the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve over.' We, however, want to shout out in the silence of concreteness for what little we can, with the firm and resolute intention of changing the rules of a perverse game by building human and institutional networks."

The project “See you at the café” is a candidate for the 2020 Non Sprecare Award. To nominate your projects, follow the instructions provided. here.

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