Alzheimer Europe’s mission is to change perceptions, policy and practice in order to improve the access by people with dementia and their carers to treatment options and care services.

To achieve its mission and its objectives, Alzheimer Europe will represent the interests of people with dementia and their carers, involve and support its national member organisations, promote information exchange between national Alzheimer associations and other stakeholders, carry out transnational comparative surveys, develop policies and network with other relevant European organisations.

On the basis of these strategic objectives, Alzheimer Europe will develop annual Work Plans outlining the priority areas of the organisation, taking full account of the budgetary and staffing implications.

Objective 1: Representing the interests of people with dementia and their carers

Alzheimer Europe is the only organisation which is both representative on a European level and able to provide a voice for people with dementia and their carers. In close collaboration with its national member organisations, Alzheimer Europe will therefore represent the interests of people with dementia and their carers to the European institutions and in particular the Council of Ministers, the European Parliament and the European Commission. Close attention will be paid to the work of other European agencies, such as the European Medicines Agency. Alzheimer Europe will also continue its collaboration with the Council of Europe to which it has been granted consultative status.

Objective 2: Involving and supporting national Alzheimer associations

The development of annual work plans will be done in close collaboration with all member associations, which will be consulted prior to the establishment of the priorities of Alzheimer Europe. Members will be asked to assess past initiatives and projects of Alzheimer Europe for their usefulness to national organisations and to provide input with regard to the future activities best suitable to support the strategic aims of national organisations.

Objective 3: Improving the information exchange between AE, its members and other stakeholders

Alzheimer Europe plays an important role in gathering information on scientific breakthroughs and policy developments on a national level. It shares this information with its members and other organisations in its wider network through its quarterly newsletter and through its Internet and Intranet sites.

Alzheimer Europe will pay specific attention to policy developments on a national level and in particular:

• Policy developments of interest to people with dementia and their carers (social support, drug reimbursement, social security systems)
• National Alzheimer plans or programmes
• Research programmes and priorities of national governments.
• Legal developments in the areas covered by the Alzheimer Europe Lawnet projects (legal capacity and incapacity, guardianship, coercive measures, consent, advance directives, disclosure of diagnosis, driving, participation of people unable to consent in clinical trials and research, etc.)

In the long term, Alzheimer Europe intends to become the prime information resource for policy developments in the various European countries covered by the organisation.

Alzheimer Europe will continue to highlight scientific developments of interest to people with dementia and their carers, as well as to Alzheimer associations and other stakeholders.

Objective 4: Promoting best practice through the development of comparative surveys

In order to highlight differences in the access by people with dementia and their carers to care services and treatment options, Alzheimer Europe will carry out surveys involving its national member associations. By describing the differences between countries, Alzheimer Europe will promote best practices in the surveyed fields and provide reliable evidence for national organisations to lobby governments.

Following the example of its successful Lawnet projects in the field of legal developments, Alzheimer Europe will pay particular attention to carrying out comparative surveys in the social field. Areas of particular interest to the organisation are:

• Availability and accessibility of care services in the different countries
• Support systems for people with dementia and their carers
• National licensing, reimbursement and prescription systems,
• National guidelines for care services.

Objective 5: Developing policy

Alzheimer Europe will closely follow the legislative agenda of the European institutions and the Council of Europe. Where appropriate, Alzheimer Europe will develop a position on draft directives and other legislative documents and promote its views to the relevant European bodies. In addition to this reactive policy development, Alzheimer Europe will also develop policies or recommendations in areas not covered by any of the European institutions, but which are of particular interest to Alzheimer associations and to people with dementia and their carers. Possible areas of interest to the organisation are:

• Guidelines or recommendations on care interventions
• Recommendations to improve the access by people with dementia and their carers to care services and treatment options
• Policy statements on legal or ethical issues in the dementia field

Alzheimer Europe will liaise closely with the European Patients’ Forum in the development of such policies, especially in those areas which deal with general patient or carer issues. A public affairs working group, with representatives of national Alzheimer associations, will be instituted in order to involve the member organisations fully in the development of Alzheimer Europe policies.

Objective 6: Developing strategic partnerships

Alzheimer Europe will develop strategic partnerships with other organisations active in the dementia field. Particular attention will be paid to forging closer ties with scientific organisations and associations of health and social care professionals.

In order to promote the dialogue with members of the professions involved in dementia care, Alzheimer Europe will organise yearly meetings with the presidents of the European scientific societies of psychiatrists, neurologists, psychologists, general practitioners, geriatricians, nurses, etc. Alzheimer Europe will also develop its contacts with relevant professional organisations involved in social care and the social sciences.

Similarly, Alzheimer Europe will attend the yearly meetings of relevant scientific organisations in order to promote the interests of people with dementia and their carers and to present the positions and activities developed by the organisation.