Alzheimer's Society celebrated its 40 anniversary on 6 November 2019. It was founded as the then Alzheimer’s Disease Society in 1979, by a small group of determined volunteers who shared an ambition to make life better for care supporters of people living with dementia.
This group of volunteers, which has now grown to over 20,000, together with the employees of Alzheimer’s Society, is challenging perceptions of dementia, funding research and providing vital care and support. The Society is united in the aim of reaching everyone affected by dementia, so that no one will face dementia alone.
Dementia is now recognised as the UK’s biggest killer. There were only 3,021 recorded deaths in 1979, in 2017 there were over 76,000. With 850,000 people estimated to have the condition, dementia is the biggest health and social care challenge faced by UK society, and Alzheimer’s Society is committed to defeating it.
Alzheimer’s Society’s has created over 3 million Dementia Friends and over 400 dementia-friendly communities where people feel understood, respected and supported and can continue to live in the way they want to and in the community they choose.
Alzheimer’s Society also hosts the Global Dementia Friends Network, supporting countries to develop their own Dementia Friends programmes and fostering a global network. There are over 60 Dementia Friends programmes in more than 50 countries and 18 million Dementia Friends, raising awareness and reducing stigma around dementia on a global scale.
In 1990, the Society established its own research programme and has invested more than GBP 60 million (EUR 70.5 million) in over 400 research projects and funded hundreds of researchers. Alzheimer’s Society is committed to investing at least GBP 15 million (EUR 17,6 million) over the next decade including GBP 50 million (EUR 59 million) for the ground-breaking UK Dementia Research Institute, co-founded in 2015.
The Society’s national services, including the Helpline, Talking Point online community, local service finder and publications, are accessed over 2.7 million times a year. Alzheimer’s Society’s new Dementia Connect service will connect people with the right support, at the right time, in the right way.
In 40 years’ time, more than 2 million people will have dementia in the UK. Alzheimer’s Society wants to ensure those living with the condition have the care they need by providing simple and universally accessible support for everyone affected by dementia.
Morella Kayman MBE, co-founder of Alzheimer’s Society, provides a personal account on: www.alzheimers.org.uk/blog/morella-kayman-husband-lawrence-40-years-alzheimers-society