We were deeply saddened to hear of the passing of our dear friend and colleague Gabriella Salvini Porro, founder and long-term President of Federazione Alzheimer Italia and former Board member of Alzheimer Europe, who passed away on 14 October. Gabriella will be remembered for her lifelong dedication to people with dementia and their carers and families in Italy and Europe. A few years after the death of her mother, who had Alzheimer's dementia, Gabriella decided to put all her energies into establishing Alzheimer Milano, which she did in 1991. Later, with the conviction that collaboration across Italy was key in addressing dementia, in mid-1993, she worked towards the creation of Federazione Alzheimer Italia, the national federation, which currently brings together more than fifty local associations and 60 Dementia Inclusive Communities.
She was also a convinced European and joined the Alzheimer Europe Board in 1994 where she represented Italy until 2006. From 1996 to 2002, she served as the organisation’s Honorary Treasurer and from 2002 to 2004 as Vice-Chairperson. Amongst her many contributions to our organisation, she organised the 1995 Annual Meeting of Alzheimer Europe in Milan and as the responsible for the organisation’s first newsletter, she was also the creator of the Alzheimer Europe logo, which is still in use today with some minor modifications. We will remember her as a passionate advocate for people with dementia and their carers, tirelessly raising awareness, developing the Italian Federation, and working to see dementia recognised as a priority by Italian policy makers. We offer our heartfelt condolences to the family of Gabriella, as well as our colleagues of Federazione Alzheimer Italia.
