JADE Health

Project description

Background

Mental disorders represent a significant public health challenge. Due to their prevalence, they affect quality of life and represent a significant economic burden, which calls for urgent policy action.

Neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, are the most common neurological disorders leading to dementia, accounting for 60%–70% of all cases of dementia; they currently affect more than 55 million people worldwide, including 8 million people in the EU. With increasing life expectancy and an aging population, this public health and social problem will continue to grow.

What is JADE Health?

JADE Health is a Joint Action, co-funded by the European Commission in the framework of EU4Health Programme. JADE Health aims to reduce the burden of dementia and other neurological disorders, and to improve the quality of treatment for people living with these diseases.

Purpose of the project

The main objective of the JADE Health project is to improve prevention, early detection and management of dementia and other neurological disorders, thereby reducing health inequalities and addressing the needs of vulnerable population groups.

JADE Health promotes a comprehensive and holistic approach to healthcare that focuses on multiple dimensions, ranging from destigmatization, strengthening preventive measures and early disease detection strategies to treatment options and the development of effective public policies.

JADE Health brings together best practices and cost-effective interventions in countries and regions through transnational pilot initiatives, complementing and strengthening existing policies and programmes.

Pilot activities:

• Health literacy and access to information
• Early detection and risk assessment
• Reducing stigma and raising public awareness
• Predictive modelling and monitoring
• New models and pathways of treatment
• Destigmatization and awareness raising

The project is committed to supporting individuals living with dementia or other neurological disorders by promoting early intervention and improving education. In addition, JADE Health aims to raise public awareness of dementia by providing targeted training for family members, healthcare professionals and other key stakeholders. This will be achieved by sharing evidence-based best practices to promote sustainability, with a strong focus on prevention and early detection. It will also involve introducing a new diagnostic and treatment model that uses the latest technology to address dementia across its entire spectrum, from preventive measures and early detection strategies to treatment options and the development of effective public policies. The aim is to improve the quality of life for patients and their surroundings.

Project objectives

Specific objectives

• To ensure that the best practices selected for the JADE Health, and their implementation in various healthcare systems across Europe, are geared towards sustainability.
• To develop and promote new, concrete partnerships to implement innovative healthcare services, ensure equitable access to care, and support new policies in the field of dementia and/or other neurocognitive disorders.
• To promote proactive and person-centred new models of care (techniques and technologies).
• To improve promotional and preventive interventions aimed at tackling stigma, with a particular focus on vulnerable groups, including older adults.
• To improve the effectiveness of promotional and preventive campaigns related to dementia and stroke (and other neurocognitive disorders).
• To ensure the broad and effective dissemination of JADE Health activities and results to improve health literacy and access to data.

JADE Health aims to consolidate, harmonize, and standardize initiatives designed to mitigate the impact of dementia on individuals and society, with a focus on high-risk populations in Europe. All planned activities within the JADE Health are designed to achieve practical and sustainable results in the short, medium and long term. JADE Health will strengthen cross-border cooperation, thereby enabling the full utilization of the experience gained through a clear strategy, the involvement of stakeholders, and the promotion of integrated and sustainable approaches to achieve a high impact.

The overall objective of JADE Health is to reduce the negative effects of dementia and improve early detection. This will be achieved by establishing 44 pilot projects in all participating Member States. In addition, sustainability action plans will be adopted to ensure the continued use of the JADE Health results after the project period ends. The goal is also to expand the application of the results and best practices to other clinical settings within the Member States.

Phases of the project (Work Packages)

The activities are divided into 10 work packages (WP): 4 transitional WPs and 6 technical WPs.

WP 1 – Management and coordination
Ensuring the effective management of the entire JA project and ensuring compliance with contractual obligations.

WP 2 – Communication and dissemination  
Raising awareness of the project’s results and achievements among the general public.

WP 3 – Methodology and evaluation
Develop an evaluation plan and tools, and monitor whether the deliverables are completed on time and in accordance with the proposed objectives (JA results).

WP 4 – Sustainability
Supporting participating countries in creating an optimal environment for sustainable implementation and ensuring the long-term effectiveness and impact of pilot projects through sustainability planning.

WP 5 – Health literacy and access to information
To analyse the current state, strengths, and weaknesses of monitoring neurodegenerative diseases in Europe; to present the progression of these diseases, the effectiveness of treatments for neurological disorders, and the burden of diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and stroke in selected countries; and to provide recommendations.

WP 6 – Early detection of neurocognitive disorders
By the end of the project, activities will be carried out in two pilot programmes for training specialists and in four pilot programmes for the early detection of neurocognitive disorders in specific target groups. Approximately 130 specialists will participate in training seminars, and an additional 500 will receive written materials. Pilot activities for the early detection of neurocognitive disorders will include the development of a specific screening tool, which will involve testing approximately 200 people under the age of 65, 450 people with mild cognitive impairment, 100 of whom will be studied using digital health tools, and approximately 20 people from vulnerable communities.

WP 7 – Toward a harmonized and synergistic approach to prevention of dementia and stroke
Supporting policymakers in the fields of dementia and stroke planning their activities, and promoting the adoption of strategies tailored to specific contexts.

WP 8 – Care pathways for people with dementia and neurodegenerative disorders
By the end of the project, the following will be developed: country-specific recommendations for the development of services and clinical pathways that enhance the sustainability of integrated care models, taking into account challenges such as resource allocation, accessibility, and equity in providing quality care for people with dementia and neurodegenerative disorders.

WP 9 – New person-centred care models
Optimizing new models to support economic and social sustainability, and determining how healthcare professionals can improve the quality of care for patients with dementia and non-communicable diseases in order to maintain or increase patients’ levels of independence and reduce burnout among family members.

WP 10 – Vulnerable groups and raising awareness on stigma
Any negative attitudes or discriminatory behaviour toward people with dementia and other non-communicable diseases will be addressed. This work package will include educational initiatives and social media campaigns to raise awareness among the younger generation about dementia and other non-communicable diseases, their treatments, prevention, and the importance of social support for these patients. It will also include tailored activities to reach vulnerable groups with low digital literacy, in close collaboration with other work packages. Vulnerable patient groups will be addressed through specific tasks and activities focused on identifying best practices developed in Europe in recent years in the area of reducing the stigma associated with dementia and other non-communicable diseases, as well as with patients.

Added value

JADE Health will strengthen transnational cooperation, make the most of the experience gained through a clear strategy, the involvement of stakeholders, and the promotion of integrated and sustainable approaches to achieve a high-level impact.

Expected results and materials

The most important results are the following: development of recommendations for the early detection of neurodegenerative diseases with a focus on vulnerable groups; recommendations for the development of services and clinical pathways; development of digital care tools; development of a framework for monitoring tools for neurodegenerative disorders; development of online learning tools, and development and dissemination of online tools, information, and media campaigns aimed at destigmatization and raising awareness. The results will initially be implemented in the 17 participating EU countries and Ukraine. A total of 44 pilot initiatives will be carried out.

In Slovenia, the pilot aims to raise awareness and destigmatize dementia among various target groups, such as MEPs, decision-makers at the national and local levels, healthcare and social workers, NGOs, patients, and their caregivers. A national event (a conference) and two regional events will be held.

Duration of the project: January 1 2025 until December 31 2027

Beneficiary: Fundacion Para La Formacion e Investigacion de los Profesionales de la Salud de Extremadura (FUNDESALUD), Spain

Project partners: JADE Health consortium includes 47 entities (17 project partners + 22 affiliated partners + 8 associated partners) from the following 17 European countries: Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Norway, Poland, Slovenia, Spain in Ukraine.

Funding:  Project is co-funded by the Republic of Slovenia, Ministry of Health and the European Union – Health Programme of the European Union, under the Grant Agreement, nr. 10118324.