Arezzo to host conference on Alzheimer's caregiver burnout

A conference titled ‘Alzheimer, forbidden to abandon families’ will be held in Arezzo on September 23 to address the burnout syndrome experienced by caregivers of those with Alzheimer's disease. Organized by Antonio Rauti, president of the Fossombroni Nursing Home, the event coincides with World Alzheimer's Day.

The meeting will focus on the emotional and psychological impact of providing care for patients with neurodegenerative pathologies. A key speaker, lawyer Alessia Ariano, will discuss a landmark legal case where caregiving-related traumatic stress was recognized as a relevant psychopathological condition for an acquittal.

The initiative follows a series of discussions aimed at addressing the psychological, social, and economic burdens on caregivers. In the Arezzo territory alone, 2023 data recorded 7,248 people over the age of 65 living with Alzheimer's and 5,802 cases of minor cognitive impairment. Identified systemic issues include a lack of new facilities, excessive bureaucracy, insufficient information regarding available services, and limited bed capacity in residential care facilities.