What if a conference didn’t begin in a lecture hall, but with walking shoes, shared stories and the open road?
That’s the vision behind Walking the Talk for Dementia (WTD) — a transformative, multi-stakeholder movement that brings together people from across disciplines and around the world: researchers, health professionals, artists, caregivers and individuals living with dementia themselves.
From Aug. 25 to Sept. 1, 2025, I was one of 85 participants from nearly 30 countries - including 15 Atlantic Fellows and staff - who walked 40 kilometres along the historic Camino de Santiago de Compostela. But we weren’t just covering ground — we were breaking down barriers: between disciplines, between lived experience and academic theory, and between traditional and inclusive models of care.
Over four days of walking and two days of symposium discussion, we immersed ourselves in each other’s stories, explored shared challenges and built a platform for collective action. WTD isn’t just a conference — it’s a movement grounded in the belief that every voice matters, particularly those often unheard in clinical and research settings.
Attending as a professional — and as a friend
I attended WTD 2025 in my role as Global Partnerships Lead at the Atlantic Institute, representing the Institute and its ongoing commitment to supporting cross-sector collaboration and systemic equity — including in the field of brain health. My participation was primarily as a professional, to support WTD’s inclusive global approach to change. But it was also profoundly personal.
In 2021, my best friend, Bruce Lovat Fraser, was diagnosed with early-onset dementia. Bruce was a successful academic at Cambridge University, known for his sharp mind and vibrant presence. Over time, dementia gradually took away his ability to walk, talk and function independently. I was privileged to stand with him throughout this profound transformation. Witnessing his strength reshaped how I understand dementia — not only as a medical or research issue, but as a deeply human experience of love, identity and connection.
Walking the Talk for Dementia was both a professional opportunity and a personal act of remembrance. I walked in Bruce’s honour, carrying his memory with every step. The Camino became a space for reflection, grief, hope — and a renewed commitment to helping reimagine dementia care and advocacy through connection, creativity and community.
From footsteps to frameworks: The symposium
Following the walk, we gathered in Santiago de Compostela for a two-day symposium —“Rethinking the Future of Dementia.” The event brought together neuroscientists, researchers, care partners, advocates and individuals living with dementia to explore bold, multifaceted approaches to brain health.
The program was ambitious and wide-ranging, tackling everything from challenging stigma and centering lived experience to involving people with dementia in research and advocacy. It explored innovative care models, addressed diverse communities including LGBTQIA+ and those in low-resource settings, and celebrated the power of art and creativity to reshape how we understand dementia.
From practical innovation to poetic insight, the symposium created space to ask not only how we care for people living with dementia, but why—and how we can do better, together.
A movement gaining momentum
WTD 2025 felt like a turning point. The walk and symposium together created a rare ecosystem — where individuals living with dementia spoke alongside global experts, where laughter and silence coexisted, and where professional titles were often set aside in favour of walking shoes and honest conversation.
This year also marked a major milestone: WTD is now officially registered as a nonprofit institute in Brazil. Made possible in large part through the early support of the Atlantic Institute, this shift sets the stage for deeper and more sustainable impact.
The newly established Walking the Talk for Dementia Institute is now entering a dual planning phase:
- Building long-term institutional sustainability
- Designing WTD 2026, which will remain the flagship global convening
Meet the founder: Fernando Aguzzoli Peres
At the heart of WTD is its founder, Atlantic Fellow Fernando Aguzzoli Peres—a Brazilian journalist, bestselling author, and internationally recognised dementia advocate. Fernando’s journey began when he became the primary caregiver for his grandmother as a teenager. He left school and work to care for her full-time—a decision that would shape his life’s mission.
He later turned that experience into bestselling books—“Quem, eu?” (Who, me?) and “Alzheimer não é o fim” (Alzheimer’s is not the end)—along with children’s books exploring dementia, death, and terminal illness with honesty and compassion.
Today, Fernando serves as the Director of the Walking the Talk for Dementia Institute, a Senior Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health from the Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI) at Trinity College Dublin, and the Director of Institutional Development at the International Longevity Center Brazil.
His leadership is visionary and deeply grounded in lived experience. What stood out for me was his warm, energetic presence—full of humour and laughter—paired with a humble, facilitative leadership style. He didn’t make rallying speeches or seek the spotlight. Instead, he modelled collective leadership—gently guiding from behind, creating space for others to speak, connect, and shape the direction of the programme. The strength of WTD lies not just in his vision but in his ability to make it a shared one.
“Ask me what it’s like to drop everything in your teens to care for your grandmother,” Fernando says. “That wild, heartbreaking, beautiful experience led me to rewrite my whole life—and create a space where others could do the same.”
What makes WTD different?
What sets WTD apart is not just the walking; it is the way the format invites authenticity. Along the Camino, we connected not through institutional affiliations, but through shared meals, gentle conversation, and quiet moments between steps.
The lines between personal and professional blurred. We learned to listen — really listen — to people living with dementia. We made space for joy and vulnerability, for art and advocacy, for memory and meaning.
Walking forward
As WTD 2026 begins to take shape, the challenge ahead is to embed what we’ve learned into systems, policies, care practices and communities. For me, Walking the Talk for Dementia was a powerful reminder that meaningful change often begins outside formal settings. It starts with people coming together, sharing their stories, listening deeply and walking side by side. Real progress grows from connection, understanding and the courage to be vulnerable in community.
It was a reminder that dementia is not the end. It’s a different path — and if we walk it together, we can change the way the world understands and responds to it, and how we support those living with dementia.
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