COUNTDOWN TO THE ALZHEIMER’S SHOW – THE FIRST EXHIBITION & CONFERENCE FOR PEOPLE LIVING WITH ALZHEIMER’S & DEMENTIA

19 – 20 April 2013 at The Royal Horticultural Halls, London SW1

16 April 2013 – London: The Alzheimer’s Show is the first UK exhibition and conference designed specifically to provide information and solutions to people living with dementia and the carers, relatives and professionals who support them.

It has been set-up in response to the call for greater assistance and understanding for those living with this illness and aims to provide a single venue where people can come to find out about the services and products available to make living with dementia easier.

The most common statement you will hear from a carer is: “I wish I had known about this before.”

The Alzheimer’s Show has been set-up to address this fundamental knowledge gap by bringing together the best experts, services and products under one roof. The aim is to provide access to all the resources needed by people to ‘live well with dementia’, whether they have the condition themselves or they are a family, friend or professional carer.

The two-day event (April 19th & 20th) follows the ethos of David Cameron’s ‘Dementia Challenge’ and mirrors Norman Lamb’s drive to create a community where people can talk openly about their experiences of living with dementia, share their experiences and start to lift the stigma that can still sometimes cloud the issues.

On both days there will be interactive Question Time sessions where visitors will be invited to put their questions to a panel of experts.

On the Friday these include: Sue McLean, Director of Care Services at CIC, specialising in specialist care and support services; Gary Rycroft, Member of The Law Society Wills & Equities Committee, specialising in Power of Attorney and other legal issues and Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive of ECCA, specialising in care excellence and Dr Simon Ridley of Alzheimer’s Research UK, specialising in research.

On the Saturday: On the Saturday Question Time panel we have: Jane Ashcroft, CEO, Anchor Trust -Quality Care; Professor Nigel Hooper, Dean Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, specialising in dementia research and general living with dementia; Gary Rycroft, Member of The Law Society Wills & Equities Committee – Power of attorney and other legal issues and Celia Stamper, Admiral Nurses, specialising in practical everyday solutions for carers. The moderator on both days is Tam McDonald, Managing Director of BrainHubTV – which will be filming the session.

David Cameron, Prime Minister, a keen supporter of the show said: “Dementia is one of the most important issues we face as a society. The Alzheimer’s Show is an excellent opportunity to help raise awareness and understanding of dementia and to help ensure that people with dementia, their carers and families get the services and support they need.”

Representing the Government at the show is Professor Alastair Burns, National Dementia Tsar. He will present an update on the Government’s plans to make major improvements in dementia care to visitors to the show on Saturday 20th April. We also have David Behan, Chief Executive of the Care Quality Commission, responsible for regulating the care sector, talking about the aims of the organisation on Friday 19th.

The show has the support of all the major UK dementia charities. Specialists from Alzheimer’s Research UK, Alzheimer’s Society and Dementia UK will make presentations over the two-days, alongside experts from Community Integrated Care, Dementia Research Centre at UCL, The Law Society and more, discussing everything from post-diagnosis and exploring the myths through to practical tips for carers and nutritional advice.

A full schedule, with dates and times can be found at http://alzheimersshow.co.uk/alzheimers-matters-theatre.

Throughout the show, Dementia UK’s Admiral Nurses will be providing 25 minute one-to-one advice clinics to visitors on a first come first served basis. Slots can be booked at the Dementia UK stand.

There will also be over 45 exhibitors, all offering products or services designed to assist living. A comprehensive list can be found at http://alzheimersshow.co.uk/workshop/

Additionally, there will be The Alzheimer’s Talks theatre, sponsored by SweetTree Home Care, providing a platform for individuals affected by Alzheimer’s and dementia to talk about their experiences. More details can be found at http://alzheimersshow.co.uk/alzheimers-talks/

On Friday 19th April, Phyllida Law, mother of actress Emma Thompson will be talking about her experiences of living with her mother with dementia. She will also be signing copies of her new book; How Many Camels are There in Holland? Dementia, Ma and Me, which was inspired by the time spent caring for her mother.

On the afternoon of Saturday 20th April there will also be topics of special interest such as music, dementia gardens, author Michael Fassio and others.

The Alzheimer’s Show was born from an urgent need to recognise and support the growing numbers of people in the UK whose lives are affected by dementia. There are currently 800,000 adults, from as young as 40, living with the disease in the UK. This figure is set to rise to 1.7 million people within 40 years.

“For many, life becomes difficult and support can be hard to find. We understand that we are living in an era of austerity in public services and therefore the need for this event has never been greater,” explained Nigel Ward, Founder of The Alzheimer’s Show.

“It is not for those in their 80s that this conference is targeted at, it is their children. It’s the baby-boomer generation who find themselves faced with caring for increasingly frail and failing parents in their late 70s, 80s and 90s,” explained Max Pemberton, GP and health writer for the Daily Telegraph who recognises that the show offers current and future carers with hope and help in how to negotiate life with dementia in the family.

The Alzheimer’s Show will take place at The Royal Horticultural Halls, Lindley Hall, Elverton Street, London SW1P 2QW in London on the 19th & 20th April 2013. Tickets are available in advance from www.alzheimersshow.co.uk or on the door.

For more information, and for regular updates on conference sessions, speakers, exhibitors and general news, please visit www.alzheimersshow.co.uk and follow us @alzheimersshow and on Facebook – The Alzheimer’s Show.

Press contact
Caroline Garstang Howlett
01494 434434 / 07956 430338
alzh@strategicpr.net / caroline.garstang@yahoo.co.uk