12 Avril 2012
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ALCOVE (ALzheimer COoperative Valuation in Europe) is a European Joint Action which was launched in April 2011. The project's aim is to improve knowledge about dementia care and to work together to find the best options for preserving the quality of life, autonomy, and rights of individuals living with dementia and their carers. The HAS is in charge of the overall coordination of the project in conjunction with the French Alzheimer Plan and Ministry of Health. This coming April 12, all of the representatives of the countries participating in the project have been invited by the HAS to meet so that they may share their findings and assess their progress mid-project. ALCOVE is a project which unites 30 government or scientific organisations from 19 countries in the European Union. The Steering Committee includes France, Belgium, Finland, Italy, Slovakia, Spain, and the United Kingdom. On April 12, 2012, all of the countries and partners have been invited to meet at the HAS main offices to assess the project at its 1 year mark and to discuss their progress in completing the tasks that were launched last April 1, 2011 in Luxembourg. The ALCOVE Joint Action is co-financed by the European Commission and the Associate Partner Member States. It has as its aim the implementation of a European collaborative model focused on Alzheimer's Disease and its related illnesses with the goal of informing health policies and promoting the exchange of good practices as concerns both the individual living with the disease and his or her carers. More specifically, epidemiology, early diagnosis, care management, and ethical issues are topics which are addressed by the project, with a shared focus on measuring and reducing the iatrogenic risk related to the overuse of antipsychotics in patients. Alzheimer's disease affects more than 7 million Europeans and is therefore a public health priority for EU Member States given its prevalence, cost, and impact on society. The current lack of a cure does not translate as a lack of treatment options. Today, European citizens and health professionals are mobilised to provide care and quality service throughout the disease's progression. The role of carers is essential and patient-family associations are very active in this realm. In an effort to benefit fully from their respective expertise and to better coordinate their individual projects, ALCOVE and Alzheimer Europe, a European umbrella association which joins together all of the national patient associations and their families, including France Alzheimer, signed an intent to collaborate today. http://www.alcove-project.eu/ Access the documents by clicking here