title: Sharing knowledge to advance healthcare policies in Europe for people living with dementia and their carers: the ALCOVE project.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Alzheimer's disease and other related dementias are public health priorities in the European Union due to their prevalence, cost and profound impact on society. Because of these pressing implications, the European Union decided to create a Joint Action to share knowledge about dementia and health policy in order to preserve the health, quality of life, autonomy and dignity of people living with dementia and their carers in Europe.
  
  
  METHODS
  ALCOVE is a European Community-funded Joint Action coordinated by the HAS (French National Authority for Health) with a 24-month duration. The project's life cycle has been divided into the following four steps: (1) collection of existing information, (2) analysis of existing information and making comparisons across Member States, (3) identifying Evidence, Needs, and Priorities, (4) drafting recommendations and disseminating them.
  
  
  RESULTS
  19 countries are participating in the ALCOVE initiative. The project will publish its final findings in 2013. The project's objectives, participants, method, on-going procedures and work plans are already available on the ALCOVE website:        http://www.alcove-project.eu/. Preliminary results show that recommendations will need to focus on clinical and epidemiological data collection, diagnostic system assessment, outstanding approaches for treating behavioural disorders, limiting antipsychotic use, and competence assessment in this vulnerable population.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The European Member States involved are mobilized to share best health policy practices in order to tackle the challenge of dementia's threat on European health and social systems and to improve the quality of life and care for individuals and their family carers.
authors.affiliation: Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS), Avenue du Stade de France, 93218, Saint-Denis La Plaine, France. c.barr@has-sante.fr.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Barr
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Riolacci-Dhoyen
authors.forename: Maggie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Galbraith
authors.forename: Armelle
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Leperre-Desplanques