HealDem project
Project information
Name of project: Swift and Safe Support to Strengthen Health Literacy for People with mild cognitive impairment (Dementia) and Informal Caregivers
Project number: NPAD-2026/10048
Project period: September 2026 – August 2028
Funding programme: Nordplus Adult
The project aims to ensure that our health and social care systems offer people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), early-stage dementia, and their informal caregivers prompt and appropriate support by strengthening their health literacy in collaboration between Nordic and Baltic partners.
Limited health literacy (difficulties in finding, understanding, and applying health information) can delay diagnosis and treatment, hinder effective care planning, and increase stress and health risks for both people with MCI and dementia and their caregivers. By improving their health literacy, the project empowers individuals and families to navigate healthcare systems, make informed decisions, and adopt strategies that promote safety, health, well-being, and quality of life.
Project partners:
Coordinating institution KBT FAGSKOLE AS (Norway)
KBT Vocational School is a NOKUT-accredited higher vocational college and the only institution in Norway offering formal education for peer workers in mental health, substance abuse and social entrepreneurship. KBT will use this project to develop a new profile in dementia care and health literacy and create concrete learning resources for future vocational programmes in dementia-focused peer work.
Tartu Applied Health Sciences University (Estonia)
TARTUH is a public higher education institution specialising in healthcare. The university has strong links to healthcare providers through practice placements and community services, and hosts research groups focusing on older adults and family caregivers. In this project, TARTUH contributes to content development and dissemination.
University College of Northern Denmark (Denmark)
UCN is a university college with strong portfolios in health, education, social studies, business and technology. UCN has extensive research in dementia care and health literacy (e.g. Erasmus+ Skills4HL, Horizon Europe IDEAHL), focusing on psychosocial and non-pharmacological interventions. In this project, UCN leads the development of the implementation strategy and contributes to all work packages with expertise in research, evaluation and integrating new tools into curricula and practice.
Dementia Competence Centre (Estonia)
DKK is a national competence center whose mission is to improve the coping and quality of life of people with dementia and their loved. In this project, DKK leads the development of the project website and supports adaptation and dissemination of the supportive materials to service providers and families. DKK will use this project to obtain structured, Nordic/Baltic co-created tools that support health literacy and strengthen implementation of its strategic goals for dementia-friendly services in Estonia.
Mittuniversitetet (Sweden)
Mittuniversitetet is a Swedish university that provides education and research in nursing and health sciences. In this project, MIUN leads the international webinar and contributes to all work packages by bringing in research-based knowledge on dementia care, adult learning and digital dissemination. MIUN will use this project to expand its Nordic/Baltic collaboration and to access co developed health literacy materials for use in teaching and outreach.