We kick off #IDC2026 with the powerful voices of people living with dementia, grounding us in the reality of their experiences. Join Ray, Robyn Rex and other soon-to-be-announced speakers, as we set the conference tone by putting people living with dementia where they belong – right at the heart.

Internationally renowned geriatrician, author and culture change advocate Dr Allen Power will inspire us with an exploration of what it truly means to place the whole person at the heart of care. Drawing on decades of clinical practice, research and global leadership in dementia care, Dr Power challenges traditional biomedical models and highlights the profound impact of honouring identity, autonomy and meaning in the lives of older people. 

He will share practical strategies for shifting from task-focused care to relationship-centred support, reframing ‘behaviours’ as expressions of unmet needs, and creating environments that enable people to thrive.  

As a young nursing student, Teun Toebes was curious to know what living in a dementia facility was really like. There was only one way to find out – join the household. What he discovered behind the locked doors led to a book (The Housemates) then a film (Human Forever), both written and made with filmmaker Jonathan de Jong.

In this compelling session, the pair invite us deeper into their experiences, introducing us to the friends Teun made and giving insight into the lessons they learned about caring for people living with dementia. 

How do we create care systems where every person is seen, valued and supported in the fullness of who they are? This dynamic panel delivers a rich conversation on what diversity and wholeness truly mean in ageing and dementia care.

Through lived experience, human rights perspectives and frontline advocacy, the panel explores how identity, culture, sexuality, language and personal history shape not only the challenges people face, but the strengths and connections that enable wellbeing, and the thriving communities that come from embracing the whole person. 

For more than a decade, the brain health movement has promised a future where prevention, early detection and proactive support dramatically reduce the impact of dementia. Yet despite unprecedented scientific progress, public awareness and investment, outcomes for many people remain stubbornly unchanged.

Why? In this provocative and insightful session, Professor Craig Ritchie, world-leading psychiatrist, researcher and global advocate for prevention-focused dementia care, examines the gap between aspiration and reality, and explores the systemic, cultural and political barriers that continue to limit progress. Challenging, evidence-informed and ultimately hopeful, this session asks the essential question: how do we turn a revolution with promise into one with impact?

What does it really mean to age well?

This session explores positive ageing through a whole‑person lens, focusing not on decline, but on confidence, capability and purpose across the life course for people living with dementia. Drawing on experience, practice and system leadership, the discussion will examine how we can move beyond passive care and toward supports that enable meaningful lives, choice and connection.

27-year-old humanitarian activist Teun Toebes has a mission: improve the quality of life of people living with dementia. After making the bold choice of spending 3.5 years living in a closed ward of a nursing home, it was time to take that mission to the next level.

In a 3-year journey across 4 continents and 11 countries, Teun and filmmaker Jonathan de Jong explore the many ways dementia is approached in different cultures and what we can learn for a more inclusive future. Human Forever was the opening film at the G20 conference around dementia in The Hague on 2 October 2023 and continues to influence health policy around the world.