AlzDem – EU Care Standards for Elderly Patients and Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia

As Europe’s population ages and the demand for long-term care services increases, the training of qualified professionals is becoming increasingly important. Caring for older people and individuals with dementia requires not only theoretical knowledge but also specific practical skills, such as effective communication with patients and their families, management of behavioural symptoms, responding to challenging situations, and ensuring safe care. However, the methods used to develop and assess these skills often vary across vocational education and training institutions, while the lack of clear and standardised criteria for assessing practical skills makes it difficult to ensure the quality of education and training.

The project aims to improve the quality of vocational education and training in the field of elderly and dementia care by strengthening teachers’ competencies and developing a common framework for assessing practical skills. Through cooperation, partners from Lithuania, Türkiye and Portugal analyse teaching and assessment methods used in different countries, exchange good practices, and identify the essential professional skills required to ensure high-quality care.

One of the project’s main outcomes is a common Core Competence Framework for Dementia Care, defining the essential practical skills and their assessment criteria. Practical skills observation and assessment tools are also being developed to help teachers evaluate students’ readiness for real-life working situations more objectively and consistently.

Considerable attention is given to strengthening teachers’ professional competencies. Through international practical workshops and collaborative working sessions, teachers enhance their knowledge of competency-based education, practical skills assessment, and quality assurance of learning outcomes. Students are also actively involved in project activities, gaining insights into care practices in different countries, participating in practical exercises, and contributing to the testing of the assessment tools being developed.

The project not only strengthens teachers’ competencies and improves the quality of practical skills assessment but also contributes to better preparing future care professionals for the labour market. The solutions being developed support more consistent vocational education and training, better alignment of learning outcomes with labour market needs, and create opportunities to improve the quality of care services for older people and individuals with dementia.

To improve the quality of vocational education and training in the field of elderly and dementia care by strengthening teachers’ competencies and developing a common framework for assessing practical skills. The project develops a Core Competence Framework and practical skills assessment tools that support more consistent evaluation of learning outcomes, better preparation of future care professionals for the labour market, and higher-quality care services.

Project Results

The project develops a common Core Competence Framework for Dementia Care and a practical skills observation and assessment tool incorporating clear assessment criteria and performance indicators. Teaching and methodological materials are also being prepared, pilot testing of the developed tools is carried out at partner institutions, and evaluation reports on the pilot results are produced. Based on the experience gained, institutional integration plans are developed to incorporate these tools into teaching and training processes, ensuring the long-term use of project outcomes.

Added Value

The project contributes to improving the quality of vocational education and training by enabling a more consistent, objective, and standardised assessment of future care professionals’ practical skills. International cooperation provides opportunities to compare teaching and assessment practices across different countries, strengthens teachers’ competencies, and helps align vocational education and training more closely with labour market needs. The tools being developed are designed for use not only within partner institutions but also by other vocational education and training providers, thereby contributing to the long-term improvement of care professionals’ education and training.