Many of DAI's members were in Chicago this year for ADI's longest running international Conference on dementia.
We are proud of all of our members who presented at the conference, whether as invited Plenary speakers, as part of DAI's panel session or in the concurrent sessions.
Everyone did a truly amazing job.
Or, like one of DAI's co founders, John Sandblom, who presented in the Opening Ceremony! Our blog today is of Johns speech, and we thank him for representing us all so very well.
Johns speech notes are available to read below, although he did also ad lib quite a lot!
His slides are available here...
Improving quality of life for people with dementia
Slide one: Thanks to ADI for the invitation to be part of the opening ceremony for their 33rdInternational conference, and for sponsoring our stand in the Exhibition Hall. Thanks also to Alzheimer’s America for co-hosting the event. When I first met Mr Harry Johns, the CEO of Alzheimer’s America, he said, please just call me Harry!
My sincere thanks of behalf of DAI to the Alzheimer’s Association of America for co hosting this event, and thanks also to the LEAD coalition for their sponsorship supporting our members to attend. Special thanks also to DAI members for their hard work in fundraising for us all to be able to attend this event.
As one of eight co founders of DAI, I am honoured to represent our members today, and to have been invited to speak.
DAI is an organisation which now focuses on many things, but our primary focus is on improving the quality of life for people with dementia and their families, and advocating for them globally for the realisatin of our human rights.
Slide two: This slide is one of DAI’s graphics, and is a global overview of dementia – based on data from ADI’s World Alzheimer's Report in 2015, and the data on the WHO website this year.
Slide three: Dementia Alliance International is the global voice of dementia, and is a registered non-profit organisation whose membership is exclusively for people with a confirmed diagnosis of any type of a dementia, whose membership is now represented in 47 countries.
We seek to represent, support, and educate others living with the disease, and the wider dementia community. DAI is an organization that strives to provide a unified voice of strength, advocacy and support in the fight for individual autonomy, full and equal inclusion and improved quality of life, empowering people to live with dementia, not only die from it.
DAI has been in a strategic partnership with ADI since 2015, and we thank them for their ongoing support.
Slide four: The power of what DAI does is enormous and it helps improve the quality of life for our members.
Slide five: DAI is very proud to it’s YouTube channel was listed in the top 20 dementia channels in2018.
Then briefly discuss how these platforms support our members through global online conversations
Slide six: DAI has made their global focus about campaigning for human rights and access to the CRPD at organisations such as the United Nations, Convention of the State Parties on the Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the World Health Organisation.
Our mission is to empower people with dementia to live more positively with dementia, and to demand quality health care and disability rights. To fulfil this mission, we work with governments, other organisations and individual members of civil society to create change in programs, practices and policies that affect people with dementia and their families, now and into the future.
It is imperative there is NOTHING ABOUT US WITHOUT UT, and this is our undisputed HUMAN RIGHT.
Slide seven: DAI wishes everyone a successful and enjoyable conference.
Thank you.
John Sandblom
Co-founder, Board member and Treasurer
Dementia Alliance International