Big Issue hands over magazine to people living with dementia for landmark special edition

Monday 31 August – This week’s Big Issue is dedicated to life beyond a dementia diagnosis, putting the experiences, perspectives and creativity of people living with dementia at the heart of the magazine.

Published to mark World Alzheimer’s Month, which begins tomorrow (1 September), the edition hosts a wide range of contributors living with dementia, and also includes carers, researchers and campaigners working to improve support and understanding for the condition.

Big Issue has put the special issue together with help from the UK’s biggest dementia charities, Alzheimer’s Society and Alzheimer’s Research UK, and community organisations like DEEP, a network of more than 100 peer groups, and Dementia Rebels, a group of activists raising awareness of young-onset dementia.

The cover of the special issue carries the words “I am Still Me”, shared by contributor Teresa ‘Dory’ Davies, from North Wales.

“At diagnosis, you are not handed out any hope, you become invisible,” Davies tells Big Issue. “I was 59 and felt my life was over until I met one person who introduced me to the right people. Peer support, getting out there helped me realise I am Still Me – I may be a different me, but I’m not completely different.”

Well-known figures contributing to the magazine include comedian and author David Baddiel, who reflects on caring for his father, actor Peter Marinker, who is continuing to perform after an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, and singer Tony Christie, who discusses staying on stage despite living with dementia.

Big Issue has adapted elements of the magazine’s design using dementia-friendly principles, including changes to typography, text alignment and colour choices informed by guidance from Alzheimer’s Society.

Michelle Dyson CB, Chief Executive of Alzheimer’s Society, said: “It has been a privilege to work closely with the team at the Big Issue to place a spotlight on the UK’s biggest killer, dementia, for a special edition of the magazine during World Alzheimer’s Month. A million people are currently living with dementia in the UK, and many more are supporting loved ones with the condition, so we know it will touch many readers.

“This edition has placed the voices and experiences of people affected by dementia at the very heart of it. This is so important. For too long, dementia has been ignored and people’s experiences dismissed.

“I would like to thank the team at the Big Issue who have made this brilliant edition possible and commend those who have shared their experiences of this devastating condition to help raise much-needed awareness.”

Emma Whitcombe, Deputy Chief Executive and Executive Director of Fundraising & Marketing at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “Dementia is one of the biggest health challenges of our time, affecting almost one million people in the UK today. If nothing changes, one in two of us will be affected, whether by developing dementia ourselves, caring for someone with the condition, or both. That’s why it’s so important that we listen to and learn from the people whose lives are shaped by dementia every day.  

“This special edition of the Big Issue brings these stories to life through the voices of people with lived experience, carers, campaigners and researchers. They show why we must continue to push for progress and why research is so vital. Because research is the only way we’ll achieve life-changing treatments, earlier and more accurate diagnoses, and, one day, a cure.

“At Alzheimer’s Research UK, our vision is a world free from the fear, harm and heartbreak of dementia. To learn more about dementia research and how you can support our work, visit alzheimersresearchuk.org.”

This week’s Big Issue is on sale from street vendors across the UK now. This Alzheimer’s special kicks off a month of special activity to mark 35 years since the street magazine launched in 1991.

-ENDS-

Notes to Editor

In the UK, there are an estimated 982,000 people living with dementia, with the number expected to reach 1.4 million by 2040.

September is World Alzheimer’s Month, an international campaign to raise awareness of dementia and challenge stigma around the condition.