23rd International Conference of ADI
New Perspectives, New Hope
More than 700 people from over 45 countries arrived in Caracas, Venezuela to learn about the year's developments in dementia care and research. The conference is an unique opportunity for the global dementia community to network and gain inspiration from the variety of projects, research and activities taking place around the world.
Keynote speakers included Henry Brodaty (Australia), Martin Prince (UK), Nancy Lombardo (USA), Ingmar Skoog and Bengt Winblad (Sweden). Plenary sessions covered a variety of topics that reflected the multidisciplinary nature of the event. Epidemiology and the economic impact of the growing numbers of people with dementia around the world were presented by Professors Prince and Winblad during the first morning of the conference. This is critical information for anyone working in the field of dementia. These figures are an essential tool for raising awareness and an integral part of advocacy campaigns aimed at securing further support for care and research.
Science based sessions also included updates on the role of genetics and new drug developments, and at an interactive plenary session sponsored by Nutricia, speakers looked into the role of nutrition in dementia. Dr Skoog on day two offered the audience a glimmer of hope as he discussed the possibility of future prevention of Alzheimer's disease.
Hope was present in many of the sessions aimed at carers and people with dementia, in the form of new methods and innovations in caring. As knowledge of the condition spreads, stigma is reduced and the path to help and support for those who need it most is cleared.
"ADI events by definition have a real international flavour and unrivalled access to speakers from a variety of countries and professional backgrounds," said Marc Wortmann, Executive director of ADI." We are all encouraged by the sense of community around the event. Despite cultural and language barriers, this conference shows how we are all working together for the same cause."
ADI ran two workshops during the conference. Jodie Cross chaired a session to spread the word about the ADI Twinning Programme, with speakers from Mexico and the LA Chapter of the US Alzheimer Association and Trinidad and Tobago and Canada who have been successful participants of the programme since 2006. The workshop generated a lot of interest in the programme for which ADI announced new places on the project for a further six associations in 2008.
The second ADI workshop tackled the subject of fundraising. Jon Duchinsky, from Resources Non-Profit led the session and focussed on the importance of reaching out to an association's entire network when looking for support. The lively workshop generated debate and equipped those in attendance with a host of new ideas.
The 10/66 Dementia Research Group had a very successful conference. Many members of the team were present and they ran a lively workshop to inform delegates of their work. The majority of 10/66 centres have now finished collecting the data sets to determine the prevalence of dementia in various communities and are now working on a dissemination strategy. The group is also making preparations for an international prevalence paper for 2008.
Where next?
