Larkin University is pleased to announce that Dr. Norbert Vajda from Budapest, Hungary is the university’s first Fulbright Scholar. Dr. Vajda started his 5-month Fulbright experience in mid-January and will be in South Florida until June 15th. He completed his Ph.D. in 2016 from the Eötvös Lóránd University (ELTE) of Budapest.
Dr. Vajda is also the secretary of the Social Cluster Association, which is the Hungarian representative for Alzheimer Europe. The “Common Speaking Experts 2017” international conference was the last major event of the Social Cluster Association. Dr. Vajda was the member of the conference organizing committee responsible for the planning and implementation of the international conference. Dr. Vajda presentation on “Ageing and Lifecourse” is available in English with the other presentations of the conference at: http://socialcluster.hu/Documents-m104
He is an expert in social policy and geriatric research with a focus in the areas of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Vajda is an assistant professor of sociology at the Applied Social Science Institute, Faculty of Arts, University of Miskolc in northeastern Hungary. He also serves as the technical director for Hungarian Catholic Charity Services in Budapest. This organization operates several long-facilities for the elderly and individuals with disabilities throughout Hungary. In this position, Dr. Vajda coordinates national conferences and publishes in several journals and related periodicals in the areas of aging and dementia. He is also in charge of coordinating several Alzheimer Cafes throughout Hungary, where people who live with dementia and their family members come together to learn more about how to cope with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD).
His primary and most noted research work has been on interprofessional collaboration between social and health professionals in dementia care.
When he worked as a research director in the Interprofessional Dementia Approach (INDA) program of Hungary in 2015, he and his colleagues identified several points between social and health disciplines where discrepancies led to insufficient interventions in dementia care.
To improve collaboration between social and health care representatives, the INDA program joined the Comprehensive Health Tests Program of Hungary. http://egeszsegprogram.eu/english.pdf (English) The first database in Hungary that provides indicators for early form dementia detection was a significant outcome from Dr. Vajda and his team.
During his time at Larkin University, Dr. Vajda will provide lectures related to aging, current research, and challenges facing an aging global society with the growing incidence of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias to faculty, students, and residents and health care professionals at both Larkin Hospital and Palm Springs General Hospital in Hialeah. Dr. Vajda is available to speak to community groups in his areas of expertise by calling 305-760-7470.
A major portion of his Fulbright Scholar’s time will be spent on conducting research on “Dementia and Family Members.” His past work in this area as focused on Dementia and Society. His findings included that the majority of people, who live with dementia, caregivers and communities are lacking in knowledge today because dementia is still a taboo in society. Until all hidden secrets in each household are brought out, people will not be able to share their knowledge and help each other.
The essay by Dr. Norbert Vajda is available in English at (page 101-110):
http://szociologiaszak.uni-miskolc.hu/docs/SzellemesTudomany12_2017.pdf
