Thank you for everything you’ve done to voice all of our concerns about the Alzheimer’s Society’s publicity campaign, The Long Goodbye. You also helped the petition to be seen widely by giving £900 to www.change.org thank you for that too. When the petition started, Maxine thought it would get a few signatures then fizzle out. But so many people are joining together to make our feelings and thoughts known and heard - and to make change happen. 

         Please read on or scroll down to see how you could give more support 

                                                We’re not asking for money
                   We’re asking for care, respect, and understanding 

                                                   What’s been happening? 

A small working group has come together now to co-ordinate this action. We are all working as volunteers, and we all have strong connections to dementia: people living with dementia, carer supporters and professionals. We all recognise and appreciate the Society’s work over many years. 

The Alzheimer’s Society declined to receive the petition 

We decided to deliver the petition to the Alzheimer’s Society, and wrote on 19.4.2024 to arrange a date with the CEO and the Chair of the Board of Trustees. We were very disappointed to receive a response on 22.4.2024 from the Income and Engagement Director ‘on behalf of the Society’, saying he would be ‘unable to meet in person’. He went on to ‘strongly refute any suggestion that it’s an inaccurate portrayal of dementia.’ He also stated ‘We’ve heard from a huge number of people who have felt this is the first advert that truly represents their dementia experience.’ In the spirit of transparency, you can read our letter to the CEO and the Chair of the Board of Trustees, follow this link. To read the whole reply, follow this link. 

We’re not going away 

While we understand that some people will recognise the advertisement’s portrayal, we’ve heard views from people living with dementia, people caring for somebody with dementia, professionals, and people who are concerned about the impact of the advertisements. You are one of 1,738 people who have signed this petition. None of you want the advertisements to continue be shown, and many organisations feel exactly the same way. Please complete our 2 minute anonymous survey so we can identify the range of people who have signed. 

Advertising Standards Authority investigation 

The Advertising Standards Authority is holding a fast-track investigation of The Long Goodbye, and the results should be out in the next few weeks. Could you support us to keep the issue in people’s minds, by taking some of the actions suggested below? There seem to be some feelings that the concerns come from an unrepresentative range of people. We know this is not correct from comments in the petition and our contacts, so we’d like to be able to show that. 

Dementia Action Week 13th - 19th May 

The week of events in the UK begins on 13th May. This is a chance for the Alzheimer’s Society to bring our community together. We ask the Alzheimer’s Society to reconsider their actions and their responses to the hurt and misunderstandings caused by The Long Goodbye. 

Actions you could take? 

• We would like to provide information on the relationship the people signing the petition have with dementia. Please complete our 2 minute survey. No personal details are shared when you complete the survey. You can also provide your email address if you would like to offer any additional support or suggestions to stop this advert. No money is needed or asked for. Your response will be sent anonymously to our new email address, werstillalive@gmail.com 
•  Comment on our social media posts about what’s happening, or write your own post about what you are doing about the Long Goodbye 
• Write to your MP with a copy of the petition, with signatory names and comments, asking them to ask for it to be discussed by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Dementia 
• Share the petition, talk to other people who might be interested, see if your organisation would be open to expressing their thoughts 
• Write to the Alzheimer’s Society again, even if you’ve done it before

             Thank you so much for your support. You can email us on                                                                                    werstillalive@gmail.com

We care about the way dementia is portrayed, and we care about how people             living with dementia and people caring for them are seen and treated. 

                                   Together, we can make changes