Diane Mansour
Personal information
Diane Mansour
Founder
Contact information (Work)
Alzheimer’s Association Lebanon
+961 1 339606
+961 3 245606
Community/Lebanon Impact
Obtained the international MetLife Award for the “capacity building program”; which was conducted in collaboration with the ministry of social affairs and which reached out to more than 800 families in the most remote areas of Lebanon.
Was appointed as special envoy to “Alzheimer’s Disease International” in the MENA region. Aiming at encouraging the establishment of similar associations in the Arab countries . Conducted a regional conference for the Mena region in Dubai in 2014.
Put Alzheimer’s’ on the map and raised awareness three fold: (1) with medical professionals, nurse and doctors whose training and academic background included marginal information on Alzheimer’s disease. (2) the general public where I focused on changing misconceptions with the aim of eliminating the stigma and standing at par with Western countries on the subject of Alzheimer’s. (3) most importantly with family members and caregivers of persons with Alzheimer’s disease, where my work was so rewarding when I changed the perspective and consequently the lives of caregivers, providing a better quality of life to people with Alzheimer’s.
Work history
Previous Professions:
- Founder of Alzheimer's Association Lebanon, 2003
- President, 2003 - 2019, Alzheimer’s Association Lebanon.
- Executive Director, 1998 - 2003, Artyr.
- Purchasing Manager, 1984 - 1998, G. Zahar & Co.
- Education Projects Officer, 1982 - 1983, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
- Assistant Sales Manager, 1979 - 1982, Mini Micro Computer Corporation (M2C2).
Major Achievements
Major achievements:
- Developing and deploying numerous initiatives to raise awareness about Alzheimer disease through public meetings, advertising with billboard campaigns, publishing articles, television interviews and press releases.
- Organizing workshops for nurses and hospital staff covering all the areas of Lebanon.
- Running seminars for enhancing the quality of care in nursing homes.
- Developing and solely managing the Association’s website including up to date daily news on the disease.
- Developing a country-wide help line where family members of Alzheimer’s disease can discuss their situation and give both verbal and hands on assistance to those in need.
- Organizing meet-and-greet sessions with over one thousand families on a one on one basis in the AAL headquarters and often, when needed, had the meetings at the patient’s houses.
- Building a library with many resources where interested members of the association can borrow books, DVDs and brochures.
- Providing special equipments for patients.
- Representing Lebanon’s association in over 30 international conferences and workshops.
- Launching the “Capacity Building Program” for health and social staff working in the Community Development Centers of the Ministry of Social Affairs, 2010.
- Launching a series of workshops titled “Breaking Barriers: Staff Training in Lebanese Hospitals”, 2009 - 2010.
- Translating the first book The Best Friends Approach to Alzheimer’s Care to Arabic and distributing 2000 copies, 2006.
- Organizing the first conference on Alzheimer’s Disease in the Middle East, 2005.
- Instigating and leading the establishment of the Association for Alzheimer’s in Tunisia, 2005.
- Founding the first association in Lebanon dedicated to Alzheimer and managing it through voluntary funding, 2004.
Exhibitions, lectures & performances:
Monthly Lectures about Alzheimer's disease:
- Psychological Stress of Alzheimer’s Disease on Family Members;
- Breaking Barriers: Staff Training in Lebanese Hospitals;
- La Gestion Institutionnelle de la Vieillesse: Les Maisons de Retraite au Liban[Institutional Management of Old Age: Elderly Homes in Lebanon].
Competences & Skills
Field(s) of Expertise:
- Elderly Care
- Education Outreach
- Motivational Speaker
Languages:
- Arabic
- English
- French
- Spanish