Memory Club Project

According to the Center for the Study of the Peoples and Cultures of Portuguese Expression, about 1.5 million people in Portugal have 65 years old or more and, of these, 153 thousand are living with dementia. The physical,... [ view full abstract ]

According to the Center for the Study of the Peoples and Cultures of Portuguese Expression, about 1.5 million people in Portugal have 65 years old or more and, of these, 153 thousand are living with dementia. The physical, functional and mental dependence, in this type of population and in relation to their family or caregivers, are considerable and growing, bringing suffering, not only to them self’s but also to their families. In the Armed Forces Hospital in 2009 was implemented a project to support the military and their families with light or moderate dementia. The aim of this paper is to present the project so it can be used as an example of implementation of this kind of intervention in general hospitals.


This project was implemented in the Department of Occupational Therapy with an occupational therapist working 1 hour per day. It started with three patients. The Mini Mental State test is applied as well as a semi structured interview to establish the occupational profile. In the light of the results are defined the cognitive and functional intervention program. They can have individual or group sessions and the family or care givers can attend at some sessions in order to observe, clarified doubts, understand how to deal with some situations and give continuity to the program at home.


In these six years, the project has been consolidated and grew up counting now with two occupational therapists working 4 hours per day with 23 patients. The outcomes have been very positive.