Call to Cooperation

Having the necessary experience and a well-administered database, we would be happy to establish contacts with potential partners in future projects within the framework of the FP7 European programme.

Memory disturbances represent a major health problem in Romania, with the pathologies associated with old age leading to various types of dementias in the case of half of old people.  Alzheimer’s disease and other associated dementias affect forty per cent of the world’s population over the age of sixty-five, and in Romania thirty-four per cent of persons between the ages of 55 and 80 are affected.  The global increase in the number of patients suffering from memory disturbances, to which can be added a longer survival rate in patients, of between eight and twelve years, is not only a medical problem but also an economic and social problem.  The evolution and prognosis of the disease depend upon the moment of detection, and early diagnosis is decisive not only in order to keep the malady under control but also to amplify the economic and social effort required for patient care.  The socio-economic costs implied by memory-loss diseases are huge, and prevention of this pathology is the second major-impact factor in reducing the medical and economic burden.

Healthy aging has become the supreme desideratum of politicians in the field of health and of communities of scientists from all over the world.  Unfortunately, memory disturbances often begin to make their effects felt before the age of sixty, and so the risk of losing quality of life prematurely through physical and psychical handicap is enormous.  In the case of Romania, specialised centres in this field are barely in their infancy, although early diagnosis and specific therapeutic approaches are an imperative necessity.  Taking into account the fact that we are talking about long-term treatment, the relationship between patient and family doctor is essential.

Public health policy in Romania is still being reorganised, and the funds to support long-term care of patients with dementia are insufficient by far.  This is the reason why the Ana Aslan International Academy of Aging strives to identify solutions, models and a financial strategy capable of remedying the current situation and facilitating the import of the highest-performance methods and means specific to European and international standards of care.  Moreover, in Romania there is still no legislation connected to diagnosis and long-term care to protect the rights of such patients.  

In this context, the Ana Aslan International Academy of Aging has assumed the onerous role of drawing up a national health programme for patients with memory disturbances, which is being developed within the Centre for Diagnosis and Treatment of Memory-Loss Diseases in Bucharest and the Alzheimer’s Unit at the International Clinic for Longevity, Healthy Aging and the Prevention of Brain Aging.  We look forward to hearing your opinions with regard to our collaboration with international associations in ongoing programmes associated with the Centre of Excellence.