Today is World Alzheimer’s Day. On this occasion, the Alzheimer Bulgaria Association took part in a program on the Bulgarian National Radio, with the participation of Irina Ilieva, executive secretary of the association, and Zornitsa Karagyozova, a member of the association and a representative family member of a person with dementia. They talked about the illness and the challenges loved ones face, sharing their personal experiences. You can find their interviews at the following links:

Interview with Irina Ilieva: here

Interview with Zornitsa Karagyozova: here

On World Alzheimer’s Day Alzheimer Europe started its campaign to recruit people to help shape awareness of brain health and dementia in Europe, as well as related research. You can find more information below:

• Alzheimer Europe is looking for people with good English skills to join the Public Participation Group and help shape European research projects.

• Members of the new group will have the opportunity to contribute to various aspects of ongoing research initiatives.

• The organisation is particularly keen to attract:
  a) People with no memory or cognitive problems, interested in brain health and dementia research, and people with mild cognitive impairment
  b) People from minority or marginalised groups and cultures (with or without cognitive problems)

Alzheimer Europe focuses on the importance of public participation in the field of dementia and would like to invite people of the general public interested in dementia and brain health to join the new European public participation group.

The platform allows members of the public (excluding health and social experts, students, and service providers) to share their views on different topics and projects related to research. Members of the group will have the opportunity to participate in consultations, focus groups, written discussions, and short polls.

What is public participation?

To ensure that research accurately reflects the preferences, needs and priorities of members of the public, their viewpoints need to be incorporated into various aspects of research processes and outputs. Public participation has been proven to improve research quality. Furthermore, it helps ensure that research is ethical, transparent and reflects the principle of “nothing about us without us”.

You can find more information here.

Don’t miss our conference on the 6^th of October and our annual run on the first Saturday of October. These events will mark the 20^th anniversary of the Alzheimer Bulgaria Association! More information here.