First students graduate from ‘Alzheimer School’ in Istanbul

ISTANBUL – Anadolu Agency

The first students of the “Alzheimer School,” which was founded to raise awareness and educate the relatives of those diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, graduated on May 22 in Istanbul.

Some 300 relatives of those with the disease received certificates in a special ceremony at the school, which was founded by Istanbul’s Üsküdar Municipality.

Dr. Sevda Sarıkaya, a neurologist who is one of the instructors at the school, gave a speech at the graduation ceremony, saying that the whole training process was completed within three months and every student received at least 12 hours of education.

Sarıkaya said the school was the first of its kind in Turkey, adding that the students were trained against behavioral problems faced by relatives of patients.

She also said they gave details to relatives for improving the quality of life for those with Alzheimer’s.

Almost 1,000 people have benefited from this education and some of the attendees have come from Turkish Cyprus, Sarıkaya added.

“There are some people who came from Turkish Cyprus and Germany as well as many provinces because this has never been done before,” she said.

“You throw a child who does not know how to swim in the middle of the sea. They are trying to learn something. The relatives of those with Alzheimer’s are exactly the same,” she added. 

Sarıkaya also said relatives need to take a deep breath while caring for their family members.

“If they do not do that, they could be affected psychologically,” she added.

The neurologist also said they focused on a project called the “Alzheimer Nursing Home,” which serves Alzheimer’s patients.

“What I mean by nursing home is a place that has educated staff who take the patient out in the morning and bring them home in the evening. Patients carry out both mental and physical exercises there. There are some places like this but there is a problem. Patients should be put in groups by a professional. Because every patient is unique. Every patient has a lot of problems. If you bring the most extreme patients together, it will cause their symptoms to progress further,” she said.