We were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Marie-Odile Desana, on 25 September 2023. Marie-Odile served on the Board of Alzheimer Europe from 2014 to 2018. She was President of France Alzheimer from 2010 to 2015, where she had also been Vice President (2008) and Administrator (2006). As a former carer for her mother, who lived with Alzheimer’s disease, she created an association of family caregivers of people with Alzheimer's disease in Aix-en-Provence in France. She joined France Alzheimer’s Bouches-du-Rhône chapter in 2003 and became the chapter President in 2004, a position she held for many years.
She worked hard to improve support for families and to make France Alzheimer a key player in many national bodies, particularly during the roll-out of the 2008-2012 Alzheimer's Plan and the launch of the 2014-2019 neurodegenerative diseases plan. Her commitment was recognised nationally in 2011 when she became a "Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur" (Knight of the Legion of Honour).
Marie-Odile Desana's funeral will take place in Var, a region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur in France, on 7 October 2023. We will remember her with great fondness from the many times shared with her at our meetings and conferences throughout the years, and we offer our deepest condolences to Marie-Odile's partner Michel Palesi, to her family, friends and to her colleagues at France Alzheimer Bouches-du-Rhône.