Our first transnational meeting was held in Heidelberg where we all had a warm welcome from the German partners. Over two days, the team reviewed all project areas and work packages. Sessions included discussions on raising dementia awareness in Deaf communities, adapting a dementia screening test for Austrian and Greek Sign Languages, and designing an accessible platform to support these adaptations. Ideas for promoting the project through social media were also shared.On the first day, activities concluded with a walk to Heidelberg Castle and a group dinner. The meeting wrapped up on the second day with a confirmation of plans and next steps, setting the team up for the project’s next phase.

The Italian partners- ONLUS- paid visits to several Deaf clubs all around Italy to spread information about Dementia in Italian Sign Language and raise awareness about this issue in the Deaf Community in Italy

Focus group interviews with Deaf participants were conducted directly in each country's sign language to gather information and gain a better understanding of Deaf people's knowledge about dementia, their access to healthcare services, and suggestions to consider when designing training seminars for the Deaf community in our countries.

Who said work and fun can't go together? Two Deaf and one hearing participants of the Deaf Club EKVE visited the premises of ATHENA! We all worked together to create the videos for the Cognitive Screening Test in Greek Sign Language.

Focus group interviews with Deaf participants were conducted directly in the sign language of each country to gather information and gain a better understanding of the knowledge of Deaf people about dementia, their access to healthcare services and suggestions to consider when designing training seminars for the Deaf community in our countries.

The Italian partners- ONLUS- paid visits to several Deaf clubs all around Italy to spread information about Dementia in Italian Sign Language and raise awareness about this issue in the Deaf Community in Italy

The first seminar on dementia in German Sign Language has taken place at the Deaf Centre of Stuttgart (Gehörlosenzentrum Stuttgart). There was a huge demand! A total of over 65 people attended and had many questions! The members of the Stuttgart Deaf Center provided drinks, cake, and a welcoming atmosphere. The day highlighted the community's strong interest in gaining practical knowledge about dementia and finding ways to support one another.

The second dementia awareness seminar, organized by the German team at the Heidelberg Deaf Club on 17.07.24, was also a fantastic success. The Heidelberg Deaf Club gave everyone a warm welcome, offering coffee, tea, water, and cake, creating a relaxed and friendly setting. Over 65 motivated members of the Deaf community gathered, bringing with them a strong curiosity to learn more about dementia. Attendees asked thoughtful questions, engaged deeply with the material and openly shared their experiences. With this seminar, the total number of Deaf community members reached has now exceeded 130.

What shouldn’t be missing on World Alzheimer’s Day? That’s right – our project! We want to raise awareness about dementia within Deaf communities. Equally important is informing everyone about our project so they can better understand the unique needs of Deaf individuals, as well as respect their culture and language, especially when it comes to dementia. This year, World Alzheimer’s Day coincides with the International Week of the Deaf (September 23–29, 2024). A sign that it’s time to focus on the intersection of deafness and dementia – perfect timing!

Raising awareness about dementia in Austrian, German, Greek and Italian Deaf communities: the De-Sign Erasmus+ project. Abstract sent to be presented at the Alzheimer’s Europe Conference 8-10/10/2024, Geneva, Switcherland.

It was the first seminar presented in the Deaf community and in specific the Deaf club in Athens called EFATHA. During the seminar we recieved very satisfactory feedback from the Deaf participants and were really interested in learning more about dementia.

This was our second seminar in Austria to raise awareness. A lot of people came, including some from outside the country, which shows the importance and interest of this project to the Deaf community.

During the Health Day for the Deaf community, we had the opportunity to present our project and educate about dementia.

The awareness-raising course by the German research team in Schwäbisch Gmünd was another great opportunity to spread knowledge about dementia in sign language and to reach Deaf people across Baden-Württemberg.

Presentation to Health professionals: Alzheimer’s Disease: From scientific developments to holistic care. Athens

Dr Tsatali Marianna presented the DeSign project at the iCoDem/25 ‘Alzheimerova bolest I novi izazovi’; in Sarajevo

Tarsitsa Ntova and Marianna Tsatali gave a dementia awareness seminar in the context of WP2 in the Deaf club of Chania, Crete

Tarsitsa Ntova and Marianna Tsatali gave a dementia awareness seminar in the context of WP2 in the Deaf club of Larisa