Activities are organized to improve the cognitive and motor skills, to strengthen mental activity, social communication and skills, and to ensure concentration of patients with Alzheimer's/dementia staying in nursing homes affiliated to the Ministry of Family and Social Services.

Various research, analysis and awareness studies are carried out within the Ministry on Alzheimer's disease and patients with it. The Ministry, which organizes meetings and programs every year within the scope of 21 September World Alzheimer's Day, aims to raise awareness by providing a wide participation from public institutions and organizations, universities, civil society organizations and local administrations to the programs.

At the meetings, topics such as health policies and current developments regarding Alzheimer's in the world, a holistic geriatric and gerontological approach to this disease, the services of different municipalities and civil society organizations for patients and their families, and institutional care are discussed.

Residential care plans are made with Alzheimer's in mind

While planning the residential care by periodically collecting data on residents with Alzheimer's/dementia in nursing homes affiliated to the Ministry, the quality and variety of the service provided are determined by considering these data.

Alzheimer's patients in nursing homes are provided with care services in line with the needs of their special conditions.

The floors in which Alzheimer's patients, who are classified as "older persons who need special care", stay in the institutions, the quality of their rooms, their diet and type, their medication follow-ups, the frequency of visits by the personnel providing service to them and the type of care they provide are also arranged based on these conditions.

Various activities are carried out for residents with Alzheimer's/dementia who stay in nursing homes and rehabilitation centres for older persons of the Ministry, to improve cognitive and motor skills, to strengthen mental activity, social communication and skills, and to ensure concentration.

With the occupational workshops, it is aimed to improve the fine motor skills, object control, colour discrimination, command taking, association, attention to details and focusing skills of older persons with works such as wood painting, marbling, ceramics and felt.

The centres also provide music therapy with various instruments to keep the morale of residents with Alzheimer's high.

Care centres will be generalized

This year, the Ministry has planned to put a nursing home into service as a specialized care institution for older persons with Alzheimer's/dementia. This nursing home, which is also included in the 2022 Investment Program and is under construction in Izmit, is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

In this context, the Ministry, which continues its efforts to generalize Alzheimer's Specialized Care Centres, aims to meet the need for specialized Alzheimer's/dementia-specific residential care in the regions, according to the analysis studies.

In these institutions, which are planned as Alzheimer's and dementia-specific care institutions in their investment plans, the quality and service delivery of the institution will be updated accordingly, and the number of older persons served will be arranged according to the target audience.