As many of you know, we have been attending the Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI)London 2012 Conference. Apart from a few hiccups at the start, and the never-ending hair dryer issues (yes, Sally, I do need to get a new hairstyle that doesn’t need this type of assistance!!), it was a huge success. I feel sure the conference committee felt it was too, and they have every right to feel proud as attendance was good, most speakers sounded professional, and the topics were interesting to a broad spectrum of  people. Meeting Richard Taylor in person, the one person who really helped me when I was first diagnosed with dementia, was an honour and delight, even though at that time we did not know each other. He hosted a meeting for people interested in advocating in their own countries, and it became evident the task that he and a few others started some years ago is very challenging. These wonderful people with dementia, who had some very grand dreams a few years ago, have come a long way, but there is so much more to do. At this meeting, I met a lady called Sabine from Belgium, who started Dementia Friendly cities in her country, and there are now 25 of these across Belgium. How brilliant would it be, to have cab drivers, shop assistants, and members of the general population not only friendly towards us when we are struggling, but who have an inkling of understanding of why we are struggling. I have her contact details, as think this is something we could and should do in Adelaide, and I feel inspired to get this happening. Then, on thinking further about this brilliant idea, it seems it should also be a goal for ADI, and that for a city to be able to host a future ADI conference, they must commit to becoming dementia friendly. I will send them my conference feedback, along with this idea, and my dream is they will take up this challenge too. Having cab drivers and the hotel concierge staff (yes, the hotel being used by most delegates) make jokes about memory loss, highlighted just how un-dementia-friendly our world is. There are many days when people with dementia make lots of fun out of their symptoms, but it is not every day that we feel up to someone’s else’s jokes about us. I know New Zealand Alzheimer’s is reading this, so I send out the challenge to you too, and hope we can work together to bring this to fruition in your country, maybe not before your upcoming conference, but in the future. I met with some of your wonderful staff here, and am excited to be visiting your shores in May, and to working with you soon. So, like Martin Luther King, I have a dream, and a renewed passion to work on it.