Libraries: a place of participation for people with dementia and their relatives

In the first part, Marie-Therese Schmitz (Dementia Competence Centre for the State of Brandenburg) gave a comprehensive and approachable report on the clinical picture, the causes and effects on the sufferer themselves as well as on those around them and their relatives. She gave helpful tips on how to deal with those affected and information on contacts and support services.

In the second part, Marika Schwer (Dresden Municipal Libraries, Management and Coordination of the Volunteer Bookshop Service) presented the impressive work of Dresden Municipal Libraries with people suffering from dementia and introduced the social library work involving volunteers trained for this purpose. In particular, the book house service, target group-specific reading aloud programmes and the media supply services in senior citizens' and care facilities were presented in a practical way with the underlying concepts.

The event concluded with a report by Kristina Kirchner from the City and State Library Potsdam. She presented the extensive media collection on the subject of dementia. This includes media for the patients themselves as well as titles on the subject, providing plenty of inspiration for the interested colleagues.

We would like to thank the three speakers for their exciting and valuable insights into this important topic and for their inspiring work.