In 2020, AE will:
• Ensure that the voices of people with dementia are duly included in all operating grant activities and organise four meetings of the European Working Group of People with Dementia
• Develop a guide for dementia-inclusive meetings, transport and venues building on the expectations and experiences of EWGPWD members
• Collect information on existing training and continuing education programmes existing at national level for health professionals involved in the diagnosis, treatment and care of people living with dementia, produce national reports on the findings and develop a comparative report published in the 2020 Dementia in Europe Yearbook
• Identify legal capacity and the rights of people with dementia in decision-making as the priority of its European Dementia Ethics Network, bring together ethical and legal experts, human rights experts, researchers, policy makers as well as people with dementia and carers in a working group to discuss the findings of the literature review and develop recommendations on the subject to be published in the 2019 Ethics Reporrt
• Continue with the development of its European Dementia Observatory by closely following and reporting scientific and policy developments in the field of dementia in its monthly e-mail newsletter and its website
• Organise a conference in Bucharest, Romania under the motto “Building bridges” from 20-22 October 2020 with the participation of at least 750 participants from 30 European countries
• Carry out a mapping exercise of ongoing EU-funded dementia research projects
• Carry out a membership satisfaction survey to identify the views of AE members on the various activities undertaken under the previous and current Framework Partnership Agreement
• Bring together representatives of the national Alzheimer associations for three networking meetings of the Alzheimer’s Association Academy and organise four Board meetings and one Annual General Meeting.









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Alzheimer Europe outlined five strategic priorities in its framework partnership (2018- 2021). For the 2021 Work Plan, the following specific objectives can be outlined for each of the five priorities:
1. Providing a voice to people with dementia
In 2021, AE will build on its successful involvement activities in the previous years thanks to its dynamic and impactful European Working Group of People with Dementia bringing together 12 people with dementia from 12 different organisations and:
• Continue to ensure that the voices of people with dementia are duly included in all operating grant activities by involving its European Working Group of People with Dementia
• Organise four meetings of the group and provide a forum for people with dementia at the organisation’s Annual Conference in Bucharest
• Carry out an analysis of public and patient involvement experiences of people with dementia in EU funded projects.
2. Making dementia a European priority, supporting the development of dementia strategies and promoting dementia-friendly initiatives
In 2021, AE will build on its close collaboration with national health ministry officials and, after focusing on national dementia strategies (2018), the prevalence of dementia in Europe (2019) and training and continuing education programmes for healthcare professionals (2020), AE will:
• Coordinate and provide the secretariat for the European Group of Governmental Experts on Dementia and organise two meetings of the group to share national experiences and good practices on topics identified by national health ministry officials
• Continue to monitor the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the situation of people with dementia and their carers and develop recommendations to promote and protect their needs in pandemic strategies and policies
• Collect information on existing dementia-friendly initiatives and identify how recommendations from the 2nd Joint Action on Dementia and the European Working Group of People with Dementia have been implemented
• Develop a comparative report on national dementia-friendly initiatives and publish the findings in the 2021 Dementia in Europe Yearbook.
3. Promoting a rights-based approach to gender, sex and sexuality in dementia
In 2021, after focusing on the situation of people with dementia and carers from minority ethnic groups (2018), the participation of people with dementia in research (2019) and the ethical implications of legal capacity and decision making (2020), AE will:
• Explore ethical issues related to sex, gender and sexuality and their impact on the experience of living with dementia and caring for someone with dementia and carry out a review of scientific publications and grey literature on these subjects
• Bring together a working group with experts on ethics, human rights, sex, gender and sexuality to discuss the findings of the review and develop recommendations
• Publish the recommendations with the findings of the literature review in a report.
4. Supporting dementia research and organising an Annual Conference
In 2021, AE will continue with the development of its European Dementia Observatory which provides an important platform for researchers to present the aims and outcomes of research projects via AE’s website, newsletter, social media and conferences. After focusing on developing an inventory of clinical trials (2018), treatment guidelines (2019) and EU-funded research projects (2020), as well as organising successful Annual Conferences in Barcelona (2018) with 814 participants and The Hague (2019) with 981 participants and a virtual conference in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, AE will:
• Closely follow and report on scientific and policy developments in the field of dementia in its monthly e-mail newsletter, its website and via social media
• Organise the postponed conference from 2020 in Bucharest, Romania under the motto “Building bridges” from 29 November to 1 December with at least 500 p
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The 2015-2017 framework programme of Alzheimer Europe aims to achieve the following objectives:1. Increasing knowledge about current national dementia policies and strategies, in order to promote best practices and reduce inequalities in dementia care in Europe (dementia-friendly communities, legal capacity and proxy decision making, care standards and care services for people with dementia and their carers),2. Promoting collaboration and exchange on ethical issues linked to dementia through the organisation's European Dementia Ethics Network (Ethical challenges faced by professional carers, the changing definition of Alzheimer's disease and disclosure of risk information, societal obligations to people with dementia and their carers),3. Improving the involvement of people with dementia in EU activities through the active consultation and involvement of the European Working Group of People with Dementia,4. Improving the information exchange on dementia through the setting up of a European Dementia Observatory and the organisation of an Annual Conference,5. Capacity building for national Alzheimer associations via the organisation of an Alzheimer Association Academy,6. Ensuring effective governance.The organisation's activities are fully aligned with the European Commission Communication on a European initiative on Alzheimer's disease and other dementias which recognised that "the importance of these conditions has long been recogned at a European level has long been recognised at a European level" and will provide important support to the growing number of Member States that are implementing or developing national dementia strategies. The work plan also addresses the priority identified in the third health programme of "support[ing] cooperation and networking in the Union in relation to ]...] improving the response to chronic diseases including [...] neurodegenerative diseases, by sharing knowledge, good practices and developing joint activities.
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This application for a four-year framework partnership agreement is fully focused on dementia, one of the areas specifically identified as a priority area in the 2017 Call for proposals for operating grants. It builds on the work carried out by Alzheimer Europe in successive operating grants as part of its current framework partnership agreement (2015-2017).
The activities of Alzheimer Europe under its new 2018-2021 Framework Programme will be responding to the 2009 Commission Communication on a European initiative on Alzheimer's disease and the 2015 Council conclusions on supporting people living with dementia: improving care policies and practices”. The four-year programme aims at assisting the Commission in addressing these recommendations with a particular focus on
1. Providing a voice to people with dementia and their carers
2. Making dementia a European priority and supporting the development of dementia strategies
3. Promoting a rights based approach to dementia
4. Supporting dementia research
5. Strengthening the European dementia movement
Key aspects of the four-year programme of Alzheimer Europe are the Annual Conference bringing together the wider dementia community in Europe and the continued development of the European Working Group of People with Dementia to ensure that the views and experiences of people with dementia are fully integrated in AE activities.
In addition, the four-year programme will support the 2nd EU Joint Action on Dementia which are important initiatives and projects of the third health programme.
Finally, the organisation will identify how best to support the European Solidarity Corps. It will do so by providing traineeship opportunities for young people to work with the AE secretariat and by promoting the European Solidarity Corps amongst its membership.
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