Dementia: Developing Skills to Manage Dementia

The prevalence of dementia is increasing in our times, posing a burden for modern societies and their health systems. Current medical students, as the physicians of the future, will be called to cope with the increasing number of patients with dementia. The summer school “Dementia for medical students” aims to expose medical students to the challenges of early detecting cognitive dysfunction and caring for patients with neurodegenerative disorders. This offers an opportunity to showcase the interdisciplinary approach employed in dementia care to optimize health outcomes. At the same time, students will be educated on the most recent developments in research for neurodegenerative disorders. The structure of the program entails both clinical practice and hands-on laboratory experience and lectures by distinguished scientists running in parallel. A total of 16 medical students will be practicing in groups in the departments involved in this summer school (Neurology, Internal Medicine, Psychiatry, Radiology, Nuclear Medicine, Social Medicine) and the Laboratories of the University of Crete, Medical School (Neurogenetics/Neurodegenerative Disorders, Pharmacology, Pathology). At the same time, the group will attend courses at 1-4pm, by experts in the field of dementia.

Course leader

Ioannis Zaganas, Associate Professor of Neurology, Medical School, University of Crete / University Hospital of Heraklion, Crete, Greece email: zaganas@uoc.gr

Target group

Mainly but not exclusively, pre-graduate medical students.

Course aim

The trainees are expected to acquire knowledge, based on an interdisciplinary approach on the management of dementia, both in the community and in a hospital setting. At the end of this summer schools, students should be able to: 1) Screen for cognitive impairment 2) Differentiate between mild cognitive impairment, mild behavioral impairment and dementia 3) Diagnose Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy Body Dementia, Vascular Dementia and Frontotemporal Dementia 4) Detect reversible causes of dementia 5) Formulate management plans for different causes of dementia, including neuropsychiatric / behavioral and psychological Symptoms