Alzheimer Europe Conference, Helsinki 2023 – a personal reflection by Anne Tierney, NDCAN

NDCAN member Anne Tierney was part of Alzheimer Scotland's Active Voice delegation in attendance at the 2023 Alzheimer Europe Conference in Helsinki from the 16th-18th October.  Anne has written a personal reflection of her experience attending the conference.

It's the first time I have attended the Alzheimer Europe Conference, and I was excited and honoured to represent NDCAN in Helsinki in October 2023. We set off on a cold, wet Sunday morning from Edinburgh Airport, with Active Voice Development Officer, Chris Kelly, skillfully herding us through the airport and on to our flight to Oslo, where we caught our connection to Helsinki.

We were greeted in Helsinki by our lovely driver who made us feel welcome and took us to our hotel. The hotel was warm, welcoming, and next door to the conference centre, which was a bonus, although I hear that the electric scooters were a great way to travel from other hotels to the conference venue! 

The conference itself has left many memories for me.  From the opening keynote session, I was left with a feeling of hope; hope that we are making progress with treatments and drugs; hope that there are signs that we may be able to halt or delay the disease through early intervention and new drugs; hope that we can better support people and families already living with dementia; hope that we are also starting to address rare dementias.  I was left in awe of the European partnership approaches to dementia research and care, and impressed with the ways each country approaches it.

Taking part in the dementia strategy session, I listened as people in other countries outlined their approach, identifying similar challenges that we face in Scotland, and learning from one another as to how we might address those challenges.

My overall abiding memory, though, is of the tenacity of the presenters living with dementia, who stood up and gave an account of themselves and their determination to make a difference.  I'm choking as I write these words.  Every one of you is a champion and your action now will make a difference for generations to come.

You can read a full report of the Active Voice input to the conference here