Empowering Communities Across Europe: ADawarE Project Launches to Raise Dementia Awareness
A new initiative, ADawarE – Dementia Awareness Education, has officially launched with support from Erasmus+ from 1st Oct 2025. The project aims to tackle widespread misconceptions about Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, particularly among vulnerable populations across Europe.
ADaware - Dementia Awareness Education
Despite growing evidence that early intervention and lifestyle changes can slow the progression of dementia, many people—especially those in remote areas and with lower educational levels—still believe dementia is an inevitable part of aging. ADawarE seeks to change that.
“We urgently need to raise awareness about dementia prevention and care,” says the project coordinator, Professor Ingelin Testad. “This is especially critical for immigrants and communities with limited access to health services.”
ADawarE will pilot innovative, green, and digital educational tools to reach two key groups in each participating country:
- Immigrant communities
- Residents of remote areas, such as villages and islands
The project also aims to:
- Build a freely accessible database of awareness activities and resources.
- Organize both onsite and online training sessions.
- Disseminate findings through scientific publications, webinars, and media outreach.
By fostering strategic cooperation among European organizations, ADawarE will promote inclusion, digital transformation, and capacity building. The initiative will also identify successful public awareness strategies from across the EU and share them openly to support countries that have yet to prioritize dementia in their national health plans.
Expected outcomes include:
- Improved skills for caregivers and volunteers.
- Reduced stigma around dementia.
- Increased digital literacy among elderly individuals and their support networks.
- Strengthened cross-border collaboration in dementia care and education.
ADawarE represents a vital step toward a more informed, inclusive, and proactive approach to dementia across Europe. Helse Stavanger HF is coordinating this three-year project, with partners from Alzheimer Hellas, University for Continuing Education Krems, University Psychiatric Hospital Vrapče and University of Sarajevo.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Erasmus+ Programme under grant agreement No 2025-1-NO01-KA220-ADU-000351372