ISupport Swiss: supporting family caregivers

A press conference was held to present iSupport Swiss, the training and support programme for family caregivers of people with dementia in Switzerland developed, as part of the Cantonal Strategy on Dementia, by the Institute of Public Health (IPH) and eLearning Lab of Università della Svizzera italiana, with the contribution of the Department of Health and Social Affairs of the Canton of Ticino (DSS) and Pro Senectute, in cooperation with the World Health Organisation (WHO), the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI) and Alzheimer Ticino. Family members of a person with dementia often notice signs of the condition before a diagnosis is made. All too soon, they are called upon to play an important role in caring for their loved ones. iSupport Swiss aims to support family caregivers by increasing their knowledge and strengthening their caring skills, improving the quality of life of both the person with dementia and the caregiver. The iSupport programme has been developed over three years of research and collaboration with caregivers. It is now available as a smartphone and tablet application or printed manual in the three national languages, tailored to meet the needs of family caregivers. The press conference began with State Councillor and Director of the Department of Health and Social Affairs, Raffaele De Rosa , giving a welcome address.