Representatives from the dementia associations in Norway, Finland, Iceland, Denmark, Faroe Islands, Åland Islands and Sweden meet annually to exchange experiences and network. The Dementia Association in Sweden was the host this year and invited the other organisations to Stockholm on 8 and 9 May. The theme for this year´s conference was younger people with dementia. Among other things, the participants got to listen to experiences from people with a dementia diagnosis. They also got to listen to what it is like to be a relative of someone with dementia, as a partner or as a child.
The organisations shared their work with the aim of spreading good examples and each country held a presentation, all of which was very much appreciated by the participants. They all saw common areas in their countries that need improvement, for example, directly ensuring support after a dementia diagnosis for the person with the diagnosis as well as for their relatives, and the importance of offering knowledge and support to maintain a good quality of life based on the research from the “FINGER study”. Another reflection that was significant in all the participating countries was the importance of a meaningful everyday life for younger people with dementia when their professional life is over. H.M. Queen Silvia (pictured) was a guest of honour on the second day of the conference.
The Swedish Queen has her own experience of being a relative to someone with dementia and has a strong commitment to this cause. In her speech, she declared the importance of knowledge about living with dementia and of the importance of the work being done the participating organisations and others like them. The Nordic meeting will be followed up by a digital meeting in autumn 2023, for continued collaboration within different projects, with the aim to expand and deepen our Nordic cooperation further. The Nordic meeting will be held in Iceland next year.