On 15 July 2025, Alzheimer Europe hosted a session of its popular online Alzheimer’s Association Academy, with a focus on awareness campaigns. The Academy is a series of online capacity-building workshops bringing together representatives of national Alzheimer’s associations with members of the European Working Group of People with Dementia (EWGPWD) and European Dementia Carers Working Group (EDCWG), to learn about dementia advocacy, care, policy, research and treatment from experts in these fields. The session on 15 July was the fourth Academy session of 2025 and was hosted by Kate Boor Ellis, Communications Officer, Alzheimer Europe. She welcomed 49 registered participants, including members from 20 countries across Europe, representatives from two pharmaceutical companies, Bristol Myers Squibb and Eisai, as well as members of the Alzheimer Europe staff.
There were five speakers, all of whom shared presentations about work they and their organisations are doing in countries across the European region, to raise the profile of dementia, both among the wider public and among more targeted groups such as policymakers, health and social care providers, and other groups that are of great importance in ensuring the best quality of life possible for people with dementia and their supporters, as well as ensuring their rights and dignity are upheld in daily life. Attendees learned about work being done in Austria, Armenia, Lithuania and Belgium. Whilst different approaches are taken and different methods used, a vital common thread through all the presentations was that this work is being carried out with the involvement of people with dementia and their families, carers and supporters, ensuring the voices of those with lived experience are heard. Including people affected by dementia and ensuring they are an integral part of these campaigns not only helps raise awareness but also helps reduce stigma and misconceptions around the condition.
The first presentation was given by Johanna Pueringer and Angela Pototschnigg from Austria. Johanna Pueringer works for Demenz Selbsthilfe Austria and runs a support group for people with young onset dementia, called “Uber den berg kommen”. She also supports Angela Pototschnigg, who is a member of the European Working Group of People with Dementia and a Peer Counsellor at Alzheimer Austria. Angela was diagnosed with a mixed form of dementia some eight years ago. Their talk was entitled “Selbsthilfe wirkt” (self-help works) and included a series of campaign videos. You can find out more about the campaign and watch the videos, here: https://www.demenzselbsthilfeaustria.at/kampagne/#selbsthilfewirkt
Up next was Ofelya Kamavosyan, a communications strategist and media producer who is the founder and producer of Second Start Armenia, a media platform dedicated to stories of longevity, transformation, and resilience. Ofelya currently serves as the Communications and PR Specialist at Alzheimer’s Care Armenia, where she leads projects focused on advancing dementia care and public awareness. In addition, she is a producer and host at Public Radio of Armenia, continuing her mission to inform and inspire audiences through high-quality, meaningful content. Her talk covered many of Alzheimer’s Care Armenia’s advocacy and awareness campaigns and activities.
The third presentation was delivered by Ieva Petkuté, founder and lead of Dementia Lithuania. She is also an Atlantic Fellow at the Global Brain Health Institute, and an EdD (Doctor of Education) student at the Lithuanian Sports University. She leads local and international initiatives focused on accessibility, inclusivity, and the role of arts in brain health, dementia care, and well-being. Her cross-disciplinary work combines experimental content with traditional media and engages with policy, research, and education to ensure that the impact of her projects extends beyond their immediate scope. She discussed “The Power of Lived Experience in Advocacy Efforts in Lithuania” and shared a number of photographs from a photo voice project about the experience of implementing the person-public involvement initiative “Nepatyręs nesupras” (You won’t understand if you haven’t experienced).
Our last speaker at the Academy was Mehdi Servais from Ligue Nationale Alzheimer Liga (LINAL), Belgium. Mehdi works on projects and communications at LINAL and he shared some recent developments in advocacy and awareness raising in Belgium, on behalf of Baroness Sabine Henry, President of the Ligue Alzheimer & LINAL Belgium, and Olivier Constant, Advocacy and Awareness Raising Officer at the Flemish Alzheimer’s Association (Alzheimer Liga Vlaanderen) who were unable to join the session. A huge thank you to all speakers and participants at the Academy of 15 July and a huge thank you, also, to the European Union’s Citizen’s, Equalities, Rights and Values programme, and our Gold and Silver sponsors, Bristol Myers Squibb, Eisai, Lilly, Novo Nordisk and Roche, without whom our educational and healthcare-related activities, including these capacity-building Academy sessions, would not be possible. The next edition of the Alzheimer’s Association Academy is scheduled for 16 September 2025.
