Mental, cognitive, vision and hearing health problems in elderly people are amongst the top 10 public health challenges in Europe. They frequently occur co-concurrently and have an additive negative effect on quality of life and mental well-being. To address this negative impact, and promote mental well-being, particularly from a gender and minority community perspective, SENSE-Cog's aim is to: (1) understand the inter-relationship of sensory impairments and cognitive and mental health functioning; (2) identify novel means of screening/detection for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes; and (3) translate this knowledge into clinical applications for the mental well-being of EU citizens. Methods: SENSE-Cog will use a ‘mixed methods’ approach with a trans-EU, UK-led, multidisciplinary collaboration of 7 EU countries with academics, SMEs, city government and ‘patient-public voice’ members. We will deliver linked Work Packages (WPs) reflecting 7 themes: (1) exploration: an epidemiological analysis of 5 large EU longitudinal databases to detect risk profiles for good and poor mental health outcomes; (2) assessment: the adaptation/validation of assessment tools for cognition and sensory impairment for vulnerable populations, including the development of a composite e-screen for sensory, cognitive and mental functioning; (3) intervention: a clinical trial of a newly developed ‘sensory support’ intervention; (4) participation: an EU ‘patient and public voice’ and innovative public engagement network to inform the WPs and communicate findings; (5) valuation: health economic and cost effectiveness analyses; & (6) management, governance/ethics. Impact: SENSE-Cog will promote earlier detection of sensory, cognitive and mental impairments to enable swift interventions, prevent deterioration and limit negative impacts.

"<< Background >>The project ""VErhalten MAcht Sinn (VEMAS) – Verhaltensauffälligkeiten von Menschen mit Behinderung verstehen – den Menschen sehen – die Perspektive ändern"" (""VEMAS – Behavior makes sense – Understanding behavioral problems of people with disabilities – see the person – change the perspective""), aims at developing a comprehensive and differentiated concept (innovation) for further education and advanced training on the topic of ""People with intellectual disabilities and behavioral problems"" (PID and BP) – including didactic instructions and materials (online courses, case histories, explanatory videos), a practical textbook, a collection of diagnostic methods and further tools for reflection – which should enable different occupational groups in the fields of medicine, psychology and education (primary target group of the project) as well as the immediate related persons such as parents, siblings or friends (secondary target group) and last but not least the affected persons themselves (indirect target group) to better understand behavioral problems and their meaning. THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS THE SOCIAL PARTICIPATION AND INCLUSION OF PEOPLE WITH INTELLECTUAL AND SEVERE DISABILITIES WITH BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS.With VEMAS, we want to develop an advanced training and continuing education program that addresses a socially highly relevant need and is unique in the field of ADULT EDUCATION: The basic assumption already mentioned in the project title, that every behavior makes sense in principle, is linked to a principle that is central to the conception of the project, according to which an improvement in the individual living and learning situation as well as the social participation of PID and BP depends less on a treatment or correction of the behavior perceived as problematic, but rather on a better understanding of the reasons and causes of these behaviors (their context and their life-historical significance). A changed perspective and perception of the behavioral problems and the associated learning and development processes will also promote a changed basic attitude towards this group of people, which in turn is an essential prerequisite for the realization of their RIGHT TO SOCIAL PARTICIPATION AND INCLUSION. One particular innovation potential of this project is that this basic dialogic principle can also be transferred to other groups of people who are marginalized or excluded because of their initially incomprehensible behavior, such as children and young people with mental illness or older people (for example, in the case of dementia).Another fundamental principle in the development of VEMAS is the comprehensive participation of PID and BP and their environment themselves. Those are part of a participatory development process with the aim of gaining new perspectives and action alternatives together with this group of people and their social environment. It is therefore particularly important to emphasize that the concept to be developed is not to be developed ""about"" the people concerned, but together with them. In the sense of the motto of the disability rights movement: ""Nothing about us without us!"" it is already on the level of the project work itself about empowerment and the realization of social participation, which is thus at the same time working principle and goal of the project.The project partners: the Service for Self-Determined Living, BE (Monique Lambertz), KH Freiburg, DE (Prof. Dr. Sophia Falkenstörfer) and the University of Innsbruck, AT (Univ. Prof. Dr. Thomas Hoffmann) each have many years of experience in the field of research, development and pedagogical practice in the context of PID and BP and hope that the transnational cooperation within the framework of VEMAS will in particular lead to the development, transfer and introduction of an innovative procedure (further education and training concept including online course, materials, handouts, etc.) on different levels (Guide, p. 181).<< Objectives >>PID and PB are extremely often affected by social exclusion and disadvantage. Their everyday life is characterized by barriers (obstacles) in at least two respects, which make their social participation and inclusion more difficult:On the one hand, due to their cognitive impairment, they are dependent in many areas of everyday life on technical support (e.g. communication aids), personal assistance and special educational offers (e.g. mobility training and other specific adult education offers), which are not always provided to a sufficient extent because their respective individual needs are often not understood or support requirements remain unrecognized. On the other hand, peculiarities in the behavior of PID (partly resulting from this isolated situation), which the social environment perceives as deviating from the norm, transgressing the norm or even violating the norm, are often hastily interpreted as an expression of the identified cognitive impairment and thus attributed to an individual deficit, so that the question of the meaning/sense of this behavior (its causes, motives, antecedents, context and dynamics) is often not even asked. For example: constantly banging one's head against the wall is then reduced to a symptom of autism or aggressive behavior is explained by a severe attachment disorder. Usually, however, behavioral problems and mental disorders are the desperate expression of being permanently misunderstood.With the implementation of the planned training and further education concept and the associated innovative products (online course, materials, handouts, etc.), the development of an understanding attitude is to be achieved, which, building on the above-mentioned principles of dialogue and participation, can bring about a change in perspective and thus a development of alternative actions for all participants, in order to open up new possibilities of social participation and inclusion for this group of people. Within the framework of the VEMAS project, we thus want to ""promote social inclusion [... and] better reach people with fewer opportunities, including people with disabilities"" in line with the priority applicable to E+. The VEMAS project aims to ""help remove the barriers these groups face in accessing [...social participation], as well as contribute to the creation of inclusive environments that promote equal opportunities and equality and meet the needs of the wider community."" (E+ Guide, p. 185)<< Implementation >>The planned activities and methods of the project are based on a dialogical and participatory approach – following the above-mentioned basic principles: The further education and training material will initially be elaborated and developed in BE within the framework of project meetings, observation and group discussions (focus groups) together with PID and their environment (as experts on their own behalf), managers and employees of institutions for people with disabilities, as well as other professional groups and other persons involved. The focus is on documentation, diagnostic and biographical analyses and the didactic preparation of concrete case histories of PID and BP by means of approaches of understanding (rehistoricizing) diagnostics (observation and reflection forms, interview guidelines and communication aids, biographical reconstruction, person-environment analyses, concepts for case consultations and personal future planning, system analysis). The elaborated materials, case histories and concepts will then be evaluated in BE (East Belgium), DE (Baden-Württemberg), AT (Tyrol) and I (South Tyrol) with representatives of the possible target groups. At the end of the project, the results will be presented to a broader professional audience in the three application countries BE, DE and AUT within the framework of multiplier events, made known and presented at international conferences. On a project homepage, which will document the current status of the project during the whole project term (meetings, current project phases, special events, also in terms of public relations/PR and announcement/dissemination of the project ideas). The developed products/innovations will be made available to the public in digital form.<< Results >>VEMAS offers the possibility for the entire social environment of a person (and the person him/herself) to deal constructively with the topics of disability and PB, with the common goal of changing the living conditions for PID in such a way that social participation under more difficult living conditions becomes possible. By making VEMAS freely available in digital form via a homepage and in several languages (English, French and German), easy access for all target groups (and beyond) is ensured on the one hand; on the other hand, VEMAS is thus a project that supports the digital transformation, especially for target groups that have so far had little contact with digital education. All products are provided in the form of digital tools – taking into account accessibility and supporting technologies. This also drives the innovative use of digital educational content (non-formal) and supports the development of digital skills and competencies (cf. ibid. p. 185).We assume multiple outcomes that should enable us to develop a comprehensive range of products on the topic of ""behavior makes sense"". These are in detail:(a) The VEMAS homepage, on which up-to-date reports on the processing status and on current dates, project phases and events will be published during the project term (as part of public relations);(b) a basic handout (approx. 60 pages) based on theoretical principles of understanding the phenomenon of behavioral problems;(c) a brochure with a brief description of the project;(d) observation and reflection sheets for understanding (rehistoricizing) diagnostics;(e) questionnaires for people with behavioral problems and for the social environment;(f) Communication aids – text/symbol and picture material in digital form;(g) Reflection sheets for the social environment;(h) Discussion guides for other adults in the environment of the persons with behavioral problems, if applicable;(i) Biography work guides for individuals with intellectual and severe disabilities and behavioral problems;(j) Case conference concept;(k) Concept of inclusive future planning;(l) Environment (system) analyses;(m) Case documentation (case histories) plus video and photographic material;(n) explanatory videos.In order to make these results accessible to a maximized broad target group, we are designing a digital training and education concept on a VEMAS learning platform.On this learning platform:(1) on the one hand the above mentioned products are made available as download offers with: texts, videos, images and other digitalized materials on the products developed in the project;(2) on the other hand, the learning platform contains a didactically and methodically structured online course with: defined learning objectives, activities and self-assessment possibilities. The online course is divided into different learning objects, which can be worked through either successively, according to a predefined syllabus, or on one's own learning path. Learning cards are provided as orientation aids to support the targeted development of specific basics, methods, terms or concepts. The online course is offered at different language levels. I.e., to ensure accessibility, it is developed in both understandable language (a) and easy language (b), each supplemented by graphic-symbolic representations (a and b).Like all intellectual outputs, the entire learning platform (about 120 pages) will be translated into English and French and will be freely accessible. This will guarantee the widest possible dissemination of the results."