Wanted: Media volunteers

Alzheimer's Society is committed to getting the voices of people with dementia and their carers into the media. The best way to illustrate how living with dementia affects people is by enabling them to tell their own story.

Why we need your help

We want to raise awareness of dementia in the media and need willing volunteers to help us with this important task. Everyone affected by dementia has a unique story to tell. By sharing your experience you can help to tackle the misunderstandings surrounding dementia and offer hope to people in the same situation. This could involve speaking to a journalist over the telephone, taking part in some filming or even keeping a 'day-in-the-life' journal for others to read.

Do you have to be an expert on dementia?

You are not expected to be an expert on policy or new scientific research - you just have to be willing to tell your own story.

How often will you be called?

Journalists have very specific interview requirements, which means the perfect opportunity to ask for your help may be slow in coming. We are very grateful to all our media volunteers and because we want to respond to most requests there will always be a chance to speak to the media.

What help can you expect?

The press team is always here to support you. We can offer advice on working with the media and will talk through any issues ahead of an interview.

Can you say no to requests?

Media volunteers always have the opportunity to refuse an interview. The media moves very quickly and we are often given very short deadlines for finding interviewees. We will call you with all the details of the request and you can then say yes or no.

What about the end result?

We will always try to get hold of a copy of any newspaper article, radio interview or television appearance featuring media volunteers. This can take some time, but thanks to the internet and online tools a lot of interviews are available for you to look at.

Here are some examples of media volunteers in action:

• Marianne Talbot writes a diary for an online magazine, detailing her experiences as a carer: Marianne's diary
• Tim Meats spoke to his local newspaper about discovering he had Alzheimer's disease: Tim and Henrietta face up to dementia
• Bruce Bovil has described life since his wife's dementia diagnosis to a national newspaper: Bruce & Jan

If you are currently affected by dementia and are interested in being a media volunteer you can download an application pack or click on the 'Next' button below to fill in our online form.

Thank you for your help.