Alzheimer Iceland was founded in 1985 and works, among other things, to promote the interests of people with dementia with support, counselling and education. Its role is also to increase the knowledge of the general public, relatives, professionals and the government about the tasks that a person with dementia and relatives have to deal with. Membership in the association is open to all who are interested in and concerned about the issue of dementia.
Alzheimer Iceland's long-held dream of establishing a service centre for people with dementia is coming true. At the end of the year (2021), it is estimated that the association's service centre will open on the 3rd floor of the “Quality of Life Center” in Hafnarfjörður. The service centre is intended for individuals with mild symptoms of dementia and their relatives, and is intended as the first port-of-call after diagnosis, before specialised day training. The activities are intended to meet the needs of this group, with individual emphasis, and to maintain physical, mental and social aspects as well as to promote independence and increased activity.
The facility is about 340m2 and the association will also move its offices, education and support groups to these premises. The service centre's activities are based on the ideology of occupational therapy, where the emphasis is on working with the individual's strengths, creating conditions for them to be able to pursue their occupation and strengthen their social connections. The service centre will have various professionals, such as an occupational therapist, a psychologist, assistants, as well as volunteers. Alzheimer Iceland also intends to recruit a social worker, a speech pathologist, a physiotherapist and other professionals to join them, so that the range of services is as diverse as possible. You can follow their progress regarding the opening of this new service centre, scheduled for the end of 2021, via:
