Today Is World Alzheimer’s Day
Today, September 21st 2018, marks the 14th anniversary of World Alzheimer’s Day. This international campaign was created for organisations globally to encourage people to spread the word about Alzheimer’s which is the most common and recognized form of dementia. Despite affecting millions of people all over the world it is often not spoken about and is ignored when a person living with dementia is in need of support.
As a result, on this day, international organisations such as The Purple Elephant light up city buildings in Toronto, Niagara, Chicago, New Orleans, and Vancouver in the colour purple to commemorate this day. This global action also hopes to raise awareness about the negative connotations associated with the disease.
According to the Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland some people are afraid or embarrassed to talk to people with Alzheimer’s and 2 out of 3 people believe there is very little to no understanding of dementia in their countries globally.
Despite these findings, millions of families worldwide struggle daily with the consequences of a family member suffering with Alzheimer’s disease. The illness is often called a family disease because it touches everyone surrounding the person suffering with the illness as they slowly watch the decline of a loved one.
Dementia is described as group of symptoms that occur when brain cells stop working properly. The people affected are unable to take care of themselves and would need assistance when it comes to everyday tasks due to the brain being permanently damaged.
47.5 million people have dementia worldwide and 9.9 million cases are diagnosed yearly which means every three seconds there is a new diagnosis. It is also believed that in the next 40 years Alzheimer’s will triple in numbers. Although there are numerous people with Alzheimer’s, there is still no cure for it. Today, Alzheimer’s is the centre focus for biomedical research.
How to Get Involved In world Alzheimer’s Day?
To participate in world Alzheimer’s Month, you can organise your own event or help by donating to trusted organisations such as; ADI and The Purple Elephant.