World Alzheimer's Day™ 2004

No time to lose

From Australia to Alaska, ADI supported a record 59 Alzheimer associations to participate in World Alzheimer's Day 2004. Alzheimer associations around the world were united by ADI's campaign 'No time to lose' on Tuesday 21 September as they raised awareness of dementia and the work of their associations.

The 'No time to lose' campaign came after findings from the recent pan-European Facing Dementia Survey in which 87% of carers and 71% of physicians felt their governments do not invest enough in treating dementia.

In response to this, ADI wrote to health ministers in 192 countries alerting them to the enormous economic consequences of an ageing population and calling on them to provide better support services for people with dementia. Elizabeth Rimmer, ADI's executive director, told journalists 'Dementia is an expensive disease. In the UK's elderly, the cost of dementia is more than that of heart disease and cancer and stroke combined yet research spending is only 10% of that on heart disease and 3% of that on cancer.'

Some ADI members used the opportunity to lobby governments directly (Australia, Brasil, Peru and Scotland). Others invited government ministers to participate in events such as press conferences (Chile, Germany, Israel, Poland, Spain and Zimbabwe), Memory Walks (Guatemala and Venezuela), conferences (Armenia) and tea parties (Western Cape, South Africa). In India, the Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment released the charter of rights for people with dementia and their carers. In Mexico, FEDMA collaborated with the Secretary of Health to develop 160 training courses for doctors in the country's main cities. And the Alzheimer Society of Malta invited the Parliamentary Secretary for the Elderly and Community Care to the launch of their association.

Central to the 2004 campaign was the active participation of people with dementia. ADI hosted an 'international' reception at the House of Commons in London (UK) where people with dementia, carers, Ambassadors and High Commissioners from ADI's member countries, policy makers, medical professionals and representatives from Alzheimer associations signed ADI's 'No time to lose' charter of principles for the care of people with dementia and their carers.

In Scotland, members of the Scottish Dementia Working Group met with the health minister to discuss the importance of early diagnosis, respite care and access to medication. In Singapore, Dr Myrna Blake, a prominent figure in the social services field, was the first person to speak publicly about her diagnosis of dementia.

Memory Walks were a prominent feature of World Alzheimer's Day 2004 and were held in over 21 countries including Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Cuba, UK, Guatemala, Hong Kong SAR, India, Israel, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela.

With so many events organised around the world, media coverage was extensive. Most Alzheimer associations received at least one article in their national press but many received extensive national and local press, radio and TV coverage. In Falkirk, Scotland, the local Alzheimer group received radio coverage throughout the day as their local station read out messages the group had collected from ADI members around the world.

And in India, the association's campaign attracted great media interest with the arrival of Stephen Carless and Louisa Elliot in Cochin on 21 September. The UK couple set off from Europe in March and drove their 45-year-old Land Rover through Turkey, Pakistan and India on their epic fundraising Holland to Himalayas expedition.

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