A Facebook Campaign Simulated Alzheimer's, and It Will Stop You in Your Tracks

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Warren Manchess shaves Paul Gregoline, in Noblesville, Ind., on Nov. 27, 2013. Gregoline is 92 years old and battling Alzheimer's; he needs a hand with nearly every task the day brings.

Image: Darron Cummings

By Todd Wasserman2014-01-28 17:24:08 UTC

The difficult thing about sympathizing with an Alzheimer's sufferer is putting yourself into his or her shoes. We all have minor memory lapses, like forgetting where our keys are. But few of us have experienced the terror of having no memory of being in a specific place at a certain time.

A recent campaign by Alzheimer Nederland, a Dutch Alzheimer's group, cleverly used Facebook to help the average person better understand the plight of Alzheimer's sufferers, if only for a second. The effort, which ran in December, tagged random users in photos taken at events they did not attend. The users then received the message: "Confusing, right? You're now experiencing what it's like to have Alzheimer's disease."

See also: Approaching Darkness: One Man Blogs His Descent Into Alzheimer's

Users didn't even have to Like the Facebook page to get the message, which bolstered the effect. Instead, the advocacy group partnered with other unrelated organizations on Facebook to spread the message. After the photo tagging, the Alzheimer's page would also prompt users to send the app to a friend. Watch below:

Topics: Advertising, Alzheimer's, Business, Health & Fitness, Marketing, Mental illness