London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

Alzheimer Scotland’s annual conference is the most important conference date in the diary for Scotland’s dementia community. The programme includes high-profile speakers from Scotland and around the world, hot topic parallel sessions, all in a world-class venue. There will also be plenty of opportunities to network with over 550 delegates in our biggest ever exhibition area.

To book and view further details about the conference, visit www.alzscot.org/conference16  Bookings close on 13th May with early-bird rates available until 15th April.

Delegates include people with dementia, carers, policy makers, academics, health and care professionals, staff from dementia associations, along with representatives from the pharmaceutical industry, legal and technology sectors.

Five highlights for this year’s conference: -

1. Opening the conference is an inspirational and driven woman, Kate Swaffer, who is coming all the way from Australia to share her perspective on how to live beyond dementia, and how family, friends and dementia care professionals can more positively support people post diagnosis to do this.
2. The conference will also feature a lively debate on whether dementia should be diagnosed and treated by GPs or by secondary health care specialists like psychiatrists or neurologists. This is an important debate, and one that has been ongoing for years. It has far-reaching implications for funding and resources, and will impact on people's experience of being diagnosed and the treatment they receive.
3. Join Dr Al Power, an international educator on transformational models of care for older adults, at an enlightening breakout session: Dementia beyond drugs. He will share some amazing insights into the use of psychoactive drugs at home, in care homes and hospitals in the treatment of people with dementia in America, and his passion to educate us to live beyond these drugs.
4. We have three Ritchies discussing research! Dr Louise Ritchie will share the findings of a recent research project which explored the potential for people to continue working after a dementia diagnosis, and what this could mean for employees and employers alike. Prof Craig Ritchie will discuss risk reduction and prevention and update on some of the incredible work being conducted here in Scotland and across the world. While Prof Karen Ritchie will discuss progress and challenges associated with dementia research which is conducted with the general population and includes a mix of people who will not develop dementia and those who may, but are as yet undiagnosed.
5. Are you interested in how communities can change and adapt to become friendly and welcoming places for people with dementia? Come to our session on Dementia Friendly Communities for updates from around the world and explore what we can learn from them.