22 April 2014. On the first evening, experts and guests will be talking about dementia and its consequences for the family and their environment. Nationwide, there are some 100,000 people with dementia today. Every year, another 25,000 people are confronted with the diagnosis of dementia. It is particularly elderly people aged 80+ who are affected.

Living with dementia

The scope of the illness is extensive. It does not only affect patients but also their familial environment and carers. At times, people with dementia display modes of behaviour which strike their environment as incomprehensible and inexplicable. What is the reason for such behaviour, and how can the patients and their carers deal with it in a meaningful manner? What are the perspectives offered by practice and science? What kind of support is society able to offer?

On this evening, Dr. Thomas Beer from the Institute of Applied Nursing Science (IPW-FHS) at the FHS St.Gallen and Prof. Dr. Franz Schultheis from the HSG’s Institute of Sociology will discuss such questions with the guests of the Science Café. Prof. Dr. Ulrike Landfester, Vice-President of the University of St.Gallen, will moderate the discussion.

The absence of lectures is a deliberate feature of the Science Café. Instead, the focus will be on a discussion with guests over a cup of coffee. On four further evenings, experts from the Pädagogische Hochschule, the Fachhochschule and the University of St.Gallen with discuss data and our footprint in the net, Eastern Switzerland’s education landscape, social media and education in childhood.

Science Café in St.Gallen: topics and data

23 April 2014, 5.30 to 7 p.m. | Dementia – a challenge for relatives and the environment

21 May 2014, 6 to 7 p.m. | The Eastern Swiss education landscape – where is it going?

24 September 2014, 5.30 to 7 p.m. | The transparent human being – curse or blessing?

29 October 2014, 5.30 to 7 p.m. | The art of being offline – how to use social media

26 November 2014, 5.30 to 7 p.m. | Early, earlier, earliest childhood: when must education begin?

The discussion will take place in the St.GallenTextile Museum, Vadianstrasse 2. Everyone is welcome, admission will be free.

Picture: Science et Cité