Dementia - help for you and your relatives

If you or one of your relatives has dementia, you can get help and advice to cope with everyday life.

We offer:

• counseling and guidance on dementia in citizens' homes, in care centers and in housing services
• teaching about dementia diseases and the course of dementia as well as support options
• guidance and coordination of municipal offers and opportunities as well as external partners

What offers are there for people with dementia?

Brain Fitness - Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST)

If you have recently been diagnosed with dementia and are interested in training your brain together with others, CST might be for you.

CST is a 7-week intensive training program for people with mild to moderate dementia, where you meet like-minded people twice a week. The aim is to train the brain's current functions, stimulate the brain for new thoughts, ideas and reflections as well as socializing and networking with like-minded people.

The dementia coordinators will lead the meetings. The meetings are held in Palmosehuset, Palmose 14, Dybbøl, 6400 Sønderborg.

People with dementia who have participated in a CST course can subsequently participate in a conversation group once a week for 8 weeks.

Dementia cafe

Come to our dementia café and meet other like-minded people with dementia close to home.

• The offer is free
• Everyone is welcome
• No registration required (only for a few major events)
• Coffee and cake / fruit costs DKK 20.

The dementia cafe is run by the Netværkshuset association in collaboration with the Competence Center for Dementia. You do not have to be a member of Netværkshuset to participate in the café offer.

The dementia cafe is held in Palmosehuset in Sønderborg, Palmose 14, Dybbøl, 6400 Sønderborg monthly. See the dementia café's calendar for 2024 by clicking here. Contact the chairman of Netværkshuset to hear more on tel.: +45 40 11 66 23.

Physical Activity

Physical activity can help delay the development of dementia, increase physical and mental resources and prevent lifestyle diseases.

Sonderborg Municipality offers training for citizens living at home with dementia and their relatives:

• Motion Sind Samvær (the offer is currently suspended, provisionally until May 2023)
  On the Exercise Sind Samvær training course, the training takes place indoors, where we train balance, muscle strength and circulation with subsequent socializing.
  The actual training takes place on a team that trains twice a week, and the training is handled by a physiotherapist. The training and subsequent meetings have a total duration of 1 hour and 30 minutes. It is free to participate in the training with subsequent coffee / tea. Transportation to and from the training site is not included.
  After approx. The course is completed in 2-3 months. 

• Free nature training in Gråsten, Nordborg and Sonderborg
  The nature training is supervised by a physiotherapist and takes place in three different groups in the beautiful nature of Sønderborg Municipality for both people with dementia and their relatives. Nature and social interaction are the focus when we train both muscle strength, balance and circulation. Transport to and from the training location is not included.
  Gråsten: Mondays and Wednesdays at 14.15 pm - 15.30 pm in Gråstenskovene, meeting place at Ahlmannsparken's car park, Ahlefeldtvej 4, 6300 Gråsten.
  Nordborg: Mondays and Wednesdays at 9.30 - 10.45 am, meeting place Nordborghus, Søvænget 7, 6430 Nordborg.
  Sonderborg: Tuesdays and Thursdays at 13.30-14.45 pm in Sønderskoven, meeting place Egetoftevej 4 (the parking lot opposite), 6400 Sønderborg.

Lecture - for both people with dementia and relatives

If you have recently been given a dementia diagnosis or are relatives of a person with dementia, you can take part in a free lecture series: 'The diagnosis and the aftermath'.

The purpose of the lecture series is to give you and your relatives knowledge and tools for a life with dementia.

The lecture series consists of 2 modules each lasting 2 hours and takes place at Knøs' Gård, Knøs' Gård 1, Høruphav, 6470 Sydals. You sign up via the link at the top. The modules are built according to:

1. Dementia and treatment
2. Everyday life and the future

What offers are there for relatives of people with dementia?

It can be difficult to know how you as a relative can help a loved one with dementia. Therefore, Sonderborg Municipality offers courses for relatives and groups of relatives to citizens with dementia.

For spouses / cohabitants

Sonderborg Municipality offers a course that extends over 7 weeks. The course will be held in Palmose 14, Dybbøl on Wednesdays at 10 am -13 pm. There is room for 10-12 people on each team. Coffee / tea and some fruit will be served during the course.

The purpose of the course is:

• to gain knowledge about dementia, support and increase the prerequisites for being able to master everyday life and the challenges that come with the disease
• to have the opportunity to spend time with others in the same situation and network after the course

Before participating, the relatives coordinator will conduct an interview with each participant to uncover each individual life situation.

For adult children / children-in-law

A course is offered, which consists of 4 evenings in total. The course will be held in the Health Center, Canteen, Grundtvigs alle 150, Sønderborg on Tuesdays at 18.30 pm - 21.00 pm. It is free to participate and there is room for 18-20 participants on a team.

The purpose of the course is:

• to gain knowledge about dementia and insight into methods of communication with people with dementia
• to have the opportunity to spend time with others in the same situation and possibly networking after the course 

Discussion groups for relatives

For you who have a spouse or cohabitant with dementia.

The purpose of a discussion group is to give you as a relative:

• support in living with a changed life situation
• support for processing loss/ grief
• opportunity to exchange experiences with like-minded people
• opportunity to build social relationships
• opportunity for social interaction

In a discussion group, there is an opportunity for you to go deeper into understanding yourself and your reactions in your life situation. In order to be part of a discussion group, it is required of you that you have the courage to open up to the others in the group and trust that the dementia staff will manage the processes respectfully.     

The dementia coordinators will lead the meetings, but it is the wishes and needs of the group members that will be the focal point of the meetings. There will be 8 meetings, which will take place in Palmosehuset, Palmose 14, Dybbøl, 6400 Sønderborg.