World Alzheimer's Day™ 2005
Dozens of associations this year boldly stood up and raised their voices against the threat of dementia. Memory Walks took place in 17 different countries from Puerto Rico to Chinese Taipei to India, and huge numbers of associations took advantage of the day to build public awareness, secure media coverage and make a song and dance about a cause so often left in the shadows.
Many associations grabbed the attention of their media, making appearances on the television, radio and in newspapers. Alzheimer's Association Lebanon managed to get a 90 minute slot on the popular 'Zaven' talk show whilst Nori Graham in the UK conducted a half hour live interview on Live MediaCorp Radio in Singapore. The popular morning television show GMTV in the UK featured Alzheimer's as one of its health topics for the week. World Alzheimer's Day even made an appearance on 'Good Morning Barbados'!
Other countries held competitions and themed events. In Brazil, an art contest and exhibition displayed artwork by people with dementia. The association also held a special circus performance for people with dementia and their carers. In Switzerland, the Association Alzheimer Suisse hosted a series of 'Unforgettable Memories' themed Tea Dances and in Hungary, the Association of Hungarian Writers presented their collected works about memory loss. The day even captured the imagination of royalty - in Spain the Queen presided over a press conference and concert in Madrid.
World Alzheimer's Day is an opportunity to educate different sectors of the community on the impact of dementia. Alzheimer Scotland took the opportunity to launch a new publication, 'The Milk's in the Oven,' informing children about the illness and how it may affect their lives and that of their family. In India, the launch of 'Young Doctors for Dementia' saw medical undergraduates from Goa Medical College addressing people attending the out-patients department. In Guatemala they were celebrating their 10th anniversary with a conference and a training course while Syria were marking the first time they had observed World Alzheimer's Day with a public lecture.
In cyberspace the day was marked by the launch of the online Memory Safe, an initiative supported by Eisai and Pfizer. This online memory bank invited us to store a photo of a treasured person or object to protect those special moments and reinforce the importance of memory.
ADI supported these worldwide activities by sending letters to the health ministers of 191 countries. The message was clear: we urged governments to collaborate with their Alzheimer associations to produce the policies and resources required to give people with dementia and their carers access to the services they need.
Throughout the world our members were joined in a moving demonstration of international unity to honour the same cause. Each year we are managing to engage more people. We still have a long way to go but this year proved that together we can make a difference.
