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On December 11, London will host an international dementia summit. Health & science ministers, world experts and senior industry figures will work on a new international approach for future dementia research. What do we need to be doing to be improving the lives of people with dementia? See what members of The Alzheimer’s Society want the G8 to know.

This year, the UK is using its presidency of the G8 to spearhead a global effort to tackle dementia through research.

With an ageing population, dementia is soon to become the biggest burden on healthcare systems around the world. In 2010, the global cost of dementia was around £400 billion and this figure will continues to rise as more people are diagnosed each year. The World Health Organization estimates that more than 115 million people will be living with dementia by 2050.

The Prime Minister is urging industrialised nations to come together to address the problem head on. On 11 December, London will host an international summit meeting on dementia. Health and science ministers, world-leading experts and senior industry figures will come together to identify and agree on a new international approach for future dementia research.

The event hopes to secure a more coordinated and collaborative approach to the development of new dementia treatments and therapies. The summit agenda will address key issues, such as how national policies can help boost the discovery and development of new drugs.

What is Alzheimer’s Society doing?

Alzheimer’s Society is working hard to shape the agenda for the G8 summit to ensure the best outcomes for people with dementia.

• We’ve already contributed through our work on the Prime Minister’s challenge Research Champion’s Group and by responding to the government’s consultation.
• To give people affected by dementia a voice, we organised a listening event at the Department of Health on 1 November. We invited people with dementia, family members and caregivers to share their first-hand experiences of dementia and outline their priorities for the G8 summit and beyond.
• We’re leading on a response to the G8 summit on behalf of Alzheimer’s associations from around the world. On 11 December, we will host these organisations in London to discuss opportunities for international collaboration.
• To encourage maximum engagement with parliamentarians, we’re holding an All-Party Parliamentary Group meeting on dementia at the House of Commons. This event will brief MPs on the latest advances in dementia research and answers their questions ahead of the summit.