DigIDe PRO takes the European Stage: Presenting Caregiver Training Needs at the 36th Alzheimer Europe Conference
What training do formal caregivers need to support people with intellectual disabilities and dementia? The DigIDe PRO project (Digital Tools for Intellectual Disability and Dementia: Professionalisation, Resilience, Outstanding Care) brought this question to the 36th Alzheimer Europe Conference.
Held at the Convention Centre Dublin from 27 to 29 October 2026, the conference was organised by Alzheimer Europe in collaboration with The Alzheimer Society of Ireland with the theme, ‘Sláinte: Building momentum in dementia through policy, research and partnership‘.
On Thursday, 29 October, Annalisa La Face (University of Graz) presented the study ‘Training Needs of Formal Caregivers in Dementia Care for People with Intellectual Disabilities: A Multi-Country Analysis’ on behalf of the DigIDe PRO consortium during the ‘Disability and Dementia’ session. The study presented the contributions from researchers from the partner institutions: Barbara Gasteiger-Klicpera (University of Graz, Austria), Vanda Canjuga and Karmen Puškar Wirnsberger (Savez Osit, Croatia), Maria Moskofidou and Maria Tsameti (ESTIA, Greece), Giorgia Maria Uricolo and Sara Vivirito (EUTHRIVE, Italy), Alain Dekker and Charlie Schillermans (Alliade, Netherlands).
The presentation showed the main insights from the multi-country needs analysis conducted in Austria, Croatia, Greece Italy and the Netherlands. Results revealed a gap between caregivers’ training and the demands of daily practice, alongside strong interest in further learning. Together, these findings highlight the need for practical, evidence-based training that strengthens caregiver competencies across Europe while remaining adaptable to local health and social care systems.
The insights presented in Dublin will guide the next phase of DigIDe PRO: developing an open-access Caregiver Toolkit and a Massive Open Online Course on dementia and intellectual disability. Informed by the identified country-level gaps, these resources aim to provide formal caregivers with accessible, culturally relevant guidance they can apply in everyday care.
