On 20 September, Alzheimer Scotland welcomed almost 400 delegates to the Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC) for its Annual Conference. The theme for the day was “Your choice, Your voice, Your future” and there was a wide range of informative sessions and presenters. At Alzheimer Scotland, the voice of lived experience is at the heart of everything the organisation does.
The conference was opened by Tommy McLean (Scottish Dementia Working Group) and Maureen Huggins (National Dementia Carers Action Network). Each shared their personal experiences - Tommy as a person with dementia and Maureen as a former carer. There was also a ministerial address from Maree Todd MSP, Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport who joined by video link.
The Opening Session keynote speaker was Scott Mitchell (pictured), Peoples Champion, Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Mission. In 2022, the UK Government announced a National Dementia Mission that Mr Mitchell had helped campaign for in his late wife’s name – “The Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Mission” (Barbara Windsor, 1937-2020, was a well-known English film and television actress). Mr Mitchell spoke about their life together and about the impact that Alzheimer’s disease had on them. He also spoke about his campaigning work and his commitment to the Mission.
Alzheimer Scotland Chief Executive, Henry Simmons also addressed the conference, speaking about the overarching conference theme and discussing each of the individual session themes: “Protecting personhood”, “Practice evolutions & innovations”, “The future is green”, “The future of long term care”, and “Dementia research in Scotland”.
The full conference report can be read on Alzheimer Scotland’s website: https://www.alzscot.org/news/our-annual-conference-2024
All sessions were recorded and can be viewed, here: https://www.alzscot.org/conference24
