#bademantelchallenge – Gemeinsam unvergesslich gegen Alzheimer

In Germany, around 1.8 million people are affected by dementia (most of them have Alzheimer's disease), yet this topic plays far too small a role in society - and people with dementia far too often feel that they have to hide themselves and their illness. Dementia is still - quite wrongly - associated with shame.

That is why the DZNE Foundation's “Deutsche Demenzhilfe” (Translation: German Dementia Aid) endowment fund wanted to give the topic of dementia a public stage and call for solidarity with people with dementia. The campaign #bademantelchallenge: for a life without dementia serves this purpose.

The campaign instructions were simple: participants took photos in bathrobes at unusual locations—such as bus stops, supermarkets, or forests—then nominated three friends to join the movement. Posts were shared on Instagram with the hashtag #bademantelchallenge, and participants tagged the official account, @bademantelchallenge, often as co-authors, to spread visibility.

The response was tremendous. The campaign quickly gained traction as people across Germany joined, sharing their images and nominating others. Celebrities and influencers, many with a personal connection to Alzheimer’s, led the charge, amplifying the campaign's reach. Numerous German TV stars, hosts, influencers and politicians joined the campaign. The #bademantelchallenge went viral, gaining widespread media attention and sparking important conversations about Alzheimer’s and dementia.

The campaign reached an impressive audience of over 140 million people, effectively raising awareness for Alzheimer’s. On social media, the campaign saw about 2,600 posts on Instagram with a reach of 5.9 million, and roughly 1,000 posts on Facebook, reaching 3.9 million. The initiative was also widely covered by the media, with around 140 online articles reaching 119.1 million readers, 60 print articles reaching 10.2 million, and 17 television segments that reached 10.5 million viewers. This widespread coverage brought substantial visibility to the topic of Alzheimer’s, helping to break taboos and foster empathy on a large scale.

For more information visit: https://www.bademantelchallenge.de/ and https://www.instagram.com/bademantelchallenge/