On Sunday 15 and Monday 16 October, the European Working Group of People with Dementia (EWGPWD) met in Helsinki, prior to the opening of the 33rd Alzheimer Europe Conference (33AEC). On 15 October, members of the group conducted a final practice session for their plenary session, titled "Turning Personal Experiences into Political Advocacy and Public Involvement in Dementia Research," which took place on 16 October. They also provided input on the recommendations for the 2023 Alzheimer Europe Yearbook presented by Owen Miller (Alzheimer Europe).
The Yearbook is focused on legal capacity and supported decision-making. The following day, prior to the opening of the conference, Angela Bradshaw joined the group to discuss Alzheimer Europe's position paper on anti-amyloid treatments. EWGPWD members worked on creating an easy-to-understand version of this document. Subsequently, Ana Diaz (Alzheimer Europe) moderated a discussion regarding inclusive travel for people with dementia, and members worked on developing some recommendations targeted at people with dementia.
On 16 October, the first plenary session of 33AEC showcased the work conducted by the EWGPWD in relation to Public Involvement in dementia research and advocacy. The speakers drew on their personal experiences, both at national and European level. This was the first plenary session of its kind, organised, chaired and presented entirely by people living with dementia and Alzheimer Europe was extremely proud to be able to include this special and important plenary in its 2023 conference programme.
The work of the EWGPWD and the collective voice of its members are vital to the organisation’s work and this long-standing collaboration continues to flourish. The plenary session was chaired by Chris Roberts (Wales, United Kingdom), Chairperson of the EWGPWD, and the four speakers were Kevin Quaid (Ireland), Vice-Chair of the EWGPWD, Pia Knudsen (Denmark), Věra Ryšavá (Czech Republic) and Nigel Hullah (Wales, United Kingdom). Alzheimer Europe congratulates them all on their fantastic presentations and congratulates the entire group for its important work and for organising this plenary session. Alzheimer Europe would also like to thank all EWGPWD members for their very active contributions throughout the whole of 33AEC, including presenting, chairing and participating in other conference sessions, as well as disseminating information about the EWGPWD.
