Alzheimer’s Society and the BBC work together on dementia season

Alzheimer’s Society has been working collaboratively with the BBC as part of their Memories and Dementia: Starting the Conversation season which runs from 24 to 28 March and will feature a range of programmes on the topic of dementia. To support this, the BBC has launched special curations on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, alongside a pop-up iPlayer ‘Memories’ channel.

About Memories and Dementia: Starting the Conversation

The BBC’s Memories and Dementia season is designed to focus on their rich content archive, and the specially curated collections aim to help people living with dementia by triggering memories and starting conversations.

Reminiscence is the use of TV, pictures or music to evoke memories for people living with dementia which can help start a conversation with loved ones and carers. By using media that captures life in a decade gone by, or follows a familiar place, experience or interest, reminiscence focuses on the ‘personhood’ of the person living with dementia.

Working together with the BBC

We are thrilled to be working with the BBC on this exciting project which sees our dementia experts sharing their insights and people living with dementia speaking about their experiences. We are contributing to programming throughout the week and there will be several media appearances by our experts across national and regional BBC channels.  

Dara de Burca, Alzheimer’s Society’s Executive Director of Dementia Support and Partnerships, says: “One in three people born in the UK today will develop dementia in their lifetime, and 1.4 million people are expected to be living with dementia by 2040. 

Dementia is the biggest health and social care issue of our time that affects millions of people in the UK – but it’s important for people to know they’re not alone and support is available.  

“What’s great about the work the BBC is doing for this season is not just that it gets people talking about dementia, but it may trigger a memory in someone living with dementia, and that can provide an opportunity for family, friends and carers to connect with their loved ones, offering a shared activity that can improve people’s social interactions.”