Three Leading Organizations Join Hands to Address Global Challenges in Dementia

News-Medical reports that the Alzheimer's Association, the Global Brain Health Institute, and the Alzheimer's Society have partnered to fund 23 small-scale pilot projects as part of this year's Pilot Awards for Global Brain Health Leaders — in order to address the worldwide dementia crisis. Among the challenges the pilots will target are access to care, stigma, and brain health risk factors. With the pandemic demanding a rethink of service delivery, the Pilot Awards program offers virgin territory for innovation. Several projects concentrate on arts and dementia care, including a music program for older adults, a virtual program that engages participants in fine arts or performance arts, and an interactive radio program showcasing older voices. Another area of focus is flexible, low-cost, and scalable delivery of services to diverse populations, including in Latin America. Projects include analysis of digital technology to support cognitive assessment and dementia diagnosis in Cuba, the creation of a clinical and research network in Peru, and development of a book to guide communication skills for caregivers in Brazil. The projects will receive a cumulative allocation of approximately $575,000, including roughly $25,000 for each individual award, to enable recipients to pilot test a project and then, if successful, seek further resources to add scalability.