In November 2023, six European research projects joined together in a series of consultations focusing on Public Involvement in dementia and brain health research, organised by Alzheimer Europe. Members of these Advisory Boards are people at a higher risk of, or living with, dementia, carers and supporters of people with dementia and other lay people with an interest in brain health and dementia prevention.
The first consultation held in 14 November gathered 17 members of the EU-FINGERS, LETHE and Multi-MeMo Advisory Boards who met for the very first time in person. Members came from nine European countries (Austria, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, UK) to discuss topics around multidomain interventions to reduce dementia risk and communication tools for discussing risk of dementia with patients.
During this collaborative event, Alzheimer Europe took the opportunity to produce a series of video interviews. These interviews are with members of the Advisory Board members of the EU projects attending the meeting, researchers working on the project, the FNR programme manager and members of the European Working Group of People with Dementia (EWGPWD). They all shared their experiences working on the various projects and the vital contributions of the Advisory Boards ensuring that research accurately reflects the preferences, needs and priorities of members of the public and their perspectives in different aspects of research processes and outputs/results.