Forget-me-not: Participatory development, implementation and evaluation of school nurse placements focused on dementia

The project is being carried out as a sub-project of the LEADER project "Forget Me Not," which aims to develop a dementia-friendly region (the project region covers the municipalities of Pettenbach, Inzersdorf, Schlierbach, Nußbach, Wartberg an der Krems, Ried im Traunkreis, Kremsmünster, and Micheldorf). The sub-project of the University of Applied Sciences for Health Professions Upper Austria focuses on raising awareness of dementia in children

Therefore, the aim is to develop a scientifically grounded awareness program on dementia for students in grades 5–8. This program will be implemented in schools as part of School Nurse internships by nursing students in their fifth semester. Using a participatory, qualitative approach, the concept will be designed based on current scientific literature, expert knowledge, and the perspectives of students, nursing students, and teachers.

The process consists of three steps:

1. Co-design of the awareness program together with nursing students (defining didactic approaches, content, and objectives).
2. Pilot implementation in six schools (secondary schools and academic secondary schools) in the project region, with each class supported by a tandem of two students and closely supervised by the University of Applied Health Sciences Upper Austria.
3. Qualitative evaluation through focus group interviews with participating students, nursing students, and teachers, followed by refinement of the concept based on the findings.

Beyond the scientific goal of developing the program, participating students will benefit from high-quality, professionally guided awareness activities on dementia and will actively contribute to improving the concept. Nursing students will gain pedagogical and communication skills in health promotion while deepening their understanding of dementia—a topic of major societal relevance.