NEWSLETTER January 2016
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NEWSLETTER January 2016 as well as the financial viability of Highlights in this issue dementia healthcare on the agenda. A two-day dementia 11 January: PredictND project 2 conference on 9 and 10 May will features on Dutch radio Editorial look at the evolution of dementia- 13 January: MEP Bilbao 4 Welcome! friendly societies in Europe. Barandica signs GD, joins EAA I hope that 2016 14 January: Dementia is a 6 To continue with the theme of EU has started as well priority for EUNL Presidency collaboration, we are delighted to for you as it has for welcome yet another new member 15 January: EPAD project 3 us. to our European Alzheimer’s celebrates 1st anniversary 18 January: Wales has new 3 Alliance (EAA) this month. Spanish 13 I am delighted to year plan for dementia services start off our first newsletter of 2016 MEP Izaskun Bilbao Barandica 29 January: AE is a founding with the good news that Alzheimer joined the EAA in mid-January, 2 member of the Covenant on Europe (AE) has been officially following her signature on our Demographic Change announced as one of the founding Glasgow Declaration. members of the Covenant on On the national policy front, Wales Demographic Change. The has just unveiled a new strategy to Covenant brings together 112 improve mental health and well- European organisations to build on being for all ages. “Together for the outcomes of the AFE- Mental Health” includes plans to INNOVNET project’s Thematic improve services for older people Network on innovation for age- with dementia as one of its key friendly environments. I would also priorities. We have also received like to congratulate our Director for good news from Slovenia, where Projects, Dianne Gove, who has the public consultation on the been elected to the Covenant’s National Dementia Strategy ended Board of Directors. on 9 December. The Slovenian 2016 has also started very well for Ministry of Health is now finalising two of the EU projects in which AE the document, so we look forward is involved. The European to celebrating the launch of the Plan with our friends at Alzheimer Table of contents Prevention of Alzheimer’ Dementia (EPAD) consortium celebrated its Slovenia, any day now! Also this Editorial ................................................... 1 first anniversary, released its first month, a technical committee has met at the Ministry of Health in Alzheimer Europe................................... 2 newsletter, and selected a new data platform for its cohort study. Rome to try to resolve some issues EU projects ............................................. 2 Meanwhile a new computer surrounding the implementation of Alzheimer Europe networking .............. 3 programme, PredictAD - developed Italy’s new National Dementia Plan in the country’s various regions. European Alzheimer’s Alliance ............. 4 within the framework of the PredictND project - has been the We wish our Italian and Slovenian EU developments ................................... 4 subject of a study at the VUmc in friends great success in oiling the Members’ news ...................................... 8 Amsterdam. The results of this wheels of their respective governments to speed up the Living with dementia............................ 11 study were the focus of a Dutch radio interview with political process. Policy watch ......................................... 11 neuropsychologist Professor If we can carry the momentum of Science watch ...................................... 13 Wiesje van der Flier (VUmc and these great forward bounds in EU Dementia in society ............................. 17 PredictND) in mid-January. and national policy forward into New publications and resources ........ 18 It has been a very good month on February and beyond, 2016 promises to be a good year! AE Calendar 2016 ................................. 20 the EU policy front as well, with the launch of the new Dutch EU Conferences 2016 ................................ 20 Jean Georges Presidency on 1 January. Dementia has been announced as an official Executive Director priority for this new presidency, with scientific and social innovation Page 1 of 21 Newsletter: January 2016 29 January: AE is a founding member of the Alzheimer Europe Covenant on Demographic Change, Dianne Gove is on the Board 8 January: Alzheimer Europe continues to comply with EMA’s strict eligibility criteria On 29 January, Alzheimer Europe officially became a On 8 January we received a letter from the founding member of the EU- European Medicines Agency (EMA) funded AFE-INNOVNET informing us that, following its evaluation, European Covenant on Demographic Change. It was also we continue to comply with its strict announced that the 68 founding members have elected a eligibility criteria and therefore can Board of Directors, including Alzheimer Europe’s Director continue to be involved in its activities. for Projects, Dr Dianne Gove. The list of all the patients' and consumers' organisations The Covenant, which was launched on 7 December, brings that are involved in the European Medicines Agency's together 112 organisations to build on the outcomes of the activities can be viewed here: AFE-INNOVNET project’s Thematic Network on innovation http://www.ema.europa.eu/ema/index.jsp?curl=pages/partners_and_netwo for age-friendly environments. rks/q_and_a/q_and_a_detail_000082.jsp It will become an international non-for-profit organisation 11 January: Dianne Gove’s article on reciprocity established under Belgian law and will work closely with and stigma in relation to dementia is published the World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Network of Age-Friendly Cities and Communities. On 11 January, an article on “General practitioners’ perceptions of the stigma of Press release: http://afeinnovnet.eu/news/press-release-moving-afe- dementia and the role of reciprocity” was innovnet-thematic-network-eu-covenant-demographic-change published online in the journal, Dementia. If you are interested in joining the Covenant on It was written by Dr Dianne Gove, Director Demographic Change, please visit for Projects, Alzheimer Europe (AE) in http://www.agefriendlyeurope.org collaboration with Prof. Murna Downs and Prof. Neil Small of the University of Bradford, UK and Prof. Myrra Vernooij- You can read about the launch of the covenant on 7 Dassen, Radboud University Medical Centre, The December 2015 here http://alzheimer-europe.org/News/EU- developments/Monday-07-December-2015-AFE-Innovnet-Covenant-on- Netherlands. Demographic-Change-is-launched/%28language%29/eng-GB The article explores whether/how general practitioners (GPs) perceive people with dementia as lacking reciprocity, whether this is linked with “societal opinions about dementia as a stigma” and the possible impact of such perceptions. EU projects Dementia is an international peer-reviewed journal that acts as a forum for social research aiming to improve 11 January: PredictND’s diagnostic tool PredictAD quality of life and care for people with dementia and their features on Dutch radio families. http://dem.sagepub.com/content/early/2016/01/11/1471301215625657.full On 11 January, Dutch radio station .pdf?ijkey=veDNDHGbJJYvFgz&keytype=finite Amsterdam FM aired a five-minute interview with neuropsychologist Professor 22 January: AE Honorary Secretary Charles Scerri Wiesje van der Flier about a new computer talks to JPND about neurodegenerative diseases programme – PredictAD - developed within the framework of the PredictND project. Prof. van der Flier, On 22 January, the EU Joint VU University Medical Center (VUmc), Amsterdam said a Programme – Neurodegenerative study completed at VUmc shows the programme is a useful Disease Research (JPND) published an tool in recognising Alzheimer's disease (AD) in people with interview with Alzheimer AE Honorary mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Secretary, Dr Charles Scerri on its website. At the moment, she said, neurologists make diagnoses on the basis of clinical data, possibly using MRI scans and - Dr Scerri gave the JPND his thoughts more invasively - lumbar punctures. The data obtained is on some of the most pressing issues in research into difficult to read as it can be contradictory, and a base-line neurodegenerative diseases, gave some words of advice to is difficult to establish. Through the additional use of this young researchers and discussed ways in which research new computer programme, it appears predictions can be into healthcare and social care can be better supported to made for each patient as to whether AD underlies the build up its capacity, among other things. phenomena, or not. Dr Scerri is the co-founder and general secretary of the The VUmc study is published in Journal of Alzheimer's Malta Dementia Society. He is also a member of the JPND Disease: http://www.j-alz.com/vol50-1 Scientific Advisory Board. In July of 2013, he was appointed as the National Focal Point on Dementia in Malta. The full interview is here: http://www.amsterdamfm.nl/alzheimer-2/ http://www.neurodegenerationresearch.eu/views/charles-scerri-alzheimer- europe-and-university-of-malta-member-of-the-scientific-advisory-board/ Page 2 of 21 Newsletter: January 2016 15 January: EPAD celebrates its first anniversary, 9 December: The very first EPAD publication appeared in selects data platform The Lancet Psychiatry: http://goo.gl/ACgRpZ 15 January marked the first This forward momentum has continued into 2016, when anniversary of the official launch of EPAD announced on 19 January that it has elected to use the European Prevention of AnalytiXagility