Understanding how to link clinical and social care ecosystems to support patients with dementia and frailty, improve service continuity, and enhance the quality of life of both patients and caregivers.

This series of webinars explores how people living with dementia are currently supported and what short - or medium-term opportunities - including the use of digital technologies — can be seized to improve the well-being of both themselves and their carers.

In the EU, dementia prevalence in people over 60 increased from 5.9 million in 2000 to about 9.1 million in 2018. However, behind the words “dementia” and “frailty” lie very different clinical and social realities. Each person with dementia is unique, and their care pathway should be designed around their needs, social context, and living environment.

Following the previous webinars on (1) analysing patient and caregiver needs, (2) assessing digital health interventions, and (3) understanding policy and financial frameworks, this fourth session will explore how to bridge the gap between health and social care services, to ensure integrated and person-centred support.

Fragmentation between health and social care remains one of the main challenges in supporting people with dementia and frailty. While healthcare focuses on clinical needs, social care addresses daily living support, housing, and emotional well-being. Lack of coordination between these domains often leads to inefficiencies, duplication of services, and stress for both patients and caregivers. The rapid development of Artificial Intelligence and the ensuing focus on data also shed a new light on the roles that clinical and social actors can play in supporting a global dementia and frailty strategy.

This webinar will examine integrated care frameworks and innovative practices connecting these domains. It will explore multi-sectoral governance models, information-sharing mechanisms, and the role of digital tools and local ecosystems in enabling collaboration.

Examples from different European regions will illustrate how hospitals, primary care, municipalities, NGOs, and digital platforms can cooperate to deliver more seamless, person-centred services.

In this webinar we aim to:

• Apprehend which roles can be fulfilled by social and clinical actors in the digital world era 
• Understand how to connect social and health services for dementia and frailty management.
• Identify key governance and collaboration mechanisms supporting integration at local and regional levels.

Speakers

• Marco Albertini, University of Bologna, Italy
• Jodie Hillen, ARIIA (Aged Care Research & Industry Innovation Australia), Australia
• Sirpa Irene Impinen & Kari Mikkola, City of Helsinki, Finland

Panellists:

• Giulia Lanfredi, Eurocarers
• Anne Hendry, IFIC, UK
• Fátima González Palau, INTRAS, Spain
• Razvan Trascu, ANA Aslan Foundation, Romania