ADI Conference 2018

The 33rd International Conference of Alzheimer's Disease International was held in July 2018 in Chicago, USA

The Chicago conference was attended by over 750 delegates from over 65 countries including people with dementia, family care partners, researchers, professional carers, clinicians as well as staff and volunteers of Alzheimer associations.

Delegates and speakers included representatives from such organisations as Women’s Brain Project, NCD Alliance and many others. We kicked off each day with an inspirational introductory presentation from a person living with dementia, to remind delegates why their continued hard work in the field is so important.

The conference boasted a multidisciplinary programme inclusive of sessions on care, psychosocial interventions, dementia friendly communities and a new strand on technology, innovation and entrepreneurship. We searched around the world for the most innovative ideas in dementia research with an emphasis on care and wellbeing. We were delighted to have Britt Monti, IKEA ( come and talk about their new dementia friendly range of products and the development process behind them.

 

Plenary sessions and exhibition

Plenary sessions covered areas including; international and national policy, scientific progress, care in dementia, psychosocial interventions and technology, innovation and entrepreneurship. These themes were echoed throughout the parallel sessions where we saw many engaging and informative presentations from speakers from around the world.

Our Technology strand saw Maree McCabe, CEO Dementia Australia, outlining new and innovative ways to improve the lives of those living with dementia, while Tetsuyki Maruyama, Dementia Discovery Fund, gave insight from a funding point-of-view. Amalia Funk-Utomo from Alzheimer Indonesia Nederland Foundation explained the benefits of using music therapy as a psychosocial intervention and Amit Dias outlined a multitude of interventions currently being implemented in India.

There were some great exhibits showcased by our sponsors and member associations. Jiminy Wicket gave delegates the opportunity to try their hand a spot of croquet!

Informative workshops included updates on ADI’s programmes such as World Alzheimer’s Month and Dementia Alliance International’s response to the global dementia plan.

Exhibition at the Chicago conference

Over 200 posters on aspects of dementia care, science and lived experience were showcased throughout the conference. Some featured interactive aspects such as that presented by the Trimbos Institute of the Netherlands who had VR headsets designed to enable the user to see 'through the eyes of a person with Dementia'. This immersive learning experience is developed to enable future healthcare professionals to learn how their behaviour affects the well-being of people with dementia and how to provide person-centred care.

Every three seconds

On Saturday evening, ADI and ITN Productions hosted a ‘movie night’ for the premiere of ‘Every Three Seconds’, a documentary film about dementia around the world. The session included an introduction from Emily Kidner, ITN, a preview of the documentary and plenty of Chicago’s famous Garrett popcorn! Read more about ‘Every Three Seconds‘.

Closing message

The conference concluded with a powerful message for governments everywhere to support the implementation of the global plan on dementia, including working with Alzheimer associations and people with dementia to turn the plan into action.

Delegates and supporters were invited to join the 34th International Conference of ADI in Singapore, 18-21 March 2020.

ADI thanks the Alzheimer’s Association (US) for their support in organising the conference, the committee members and all of the presenters and participants for contributing to a great conference. ADI would especially like to thank all the volunteers who offered their time to support the smooth running of the conference.

ADI is grateful for the support of Eisai, Biogen, Lilly and the other sponsors and exhibitors.

Programme, abstract book and photos

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Alzheimer's Disease International holds its international conference every two years. The ADI conference is one of the longest running international conferences on dementia. Read More

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ADI has held its international conference since 1985, with each conference bringing together people and ideas from Alzheimer associations, people with dementia and their families, professional care and research. Read More