Withing the framework of the project »Protecting of the right to dignified aging and dementia preventing«, which Institute Circle from Slovenia and NVU Impuls from Montenegro are implementing in the North of Montenegro, we organized a second edition of volunteer training for practical work and lay psychosocial support to the elderly, people with dementia, their families, and caregivers.

Dementia, which some call the disease of the 21st century, is a syndrome that manifests itself in a progressive decline in cognitive function. Recent reports estimate that every year there are nearly 9.9 million new cases, which translates to one new case every three seconds. For these reasons it is essential that we, as a society, start prioritizing strategies and action plans, which will help people with dementia, their families, and caregivers, to get adequate support and help needed.

Recognizing the importance of intergenerational and intersectoral cooperation, in our project we are educating the volunteers for practical work with people with dementia and their families. The goal of the training, which was held in Nikšić on 15. and 16.5.2023, was to empower the volunteers for specific activities, gain knowledge and learn sensitive communication that will enable them to offer lay psychosocial support to people with dementia. They also learned about the rights of the elderly and people with dementia, with an emphasis also on the importance of volunteerism for society and its progress. The training was carried out by two experienced and knowledgeable trainers, social worker Mrs. Biljana Raičević Konjević and psychologist Mrs. Sanja Topalović from Institute for social and child protection (Montenegro).

The newly educated volunteers will actively join the ongoing and upcoming project activities, such as the mentorship program, which offers constant guidance in practical work, and home visits for lay psychosocial support. They will also become “Promotors of dignified aging” in their local communities, spreading awareness and sharing their knowledge about the important topic of dementia to fight the stigma and prejudice. We look forward to their future work and the continuous successful implementation of project activities.

The project is supported by the European Union, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia and Ministry of Public Administration of Montenegro.