WORLD ALZHEIMER’S DAY 2022: World Alzheimer’s Day is observed annually on September 21 to raise awareness about the neurological disorder. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia and affects the person’s memory, mental ability, and ability to carry out simple tasks.
World Alzheimer’s Day: History
World Alzheimer’s Day is part of the annual World Alzheimer’s Month which is observed in September to sensitize, educate, and demystify dementia. The month is being observed by the Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI), an international federation which raises awareness on the disorder.
World Alzheimer’s Day was first marked on 21 September, 1994 at the opening of ADI’s annual conference in Edinburgh. The day was celebrated to mark the 10th anniversary of the organization, which was founded in 1984. ADI promotes Alzheimer’s associations around the world and works to encourage development of better policies at regional and international levels.
World’s Alzheimer’s Day acts as the focal point of the World Alzheimer’s Month. The decision to dedicate a month to Alzheimer’s was taken in 2012 to increase the reach of awareness programmes on the disorder.
World Alzheimer’s Day 2022: Theme
This year’s theme for World Alzheimer’s Month is ‘Know Dementia, know Alzheimer’s’. It is in continuation with the last year campaign which focused on warning signs and diagnosis of dementia and also the effect of COVID-19 pandemic on the dementia community around the world. However, this year, special emphasis will be laid on post-diagnosis support for dementia.
World Alzheimer’s Day: Significance
According to Alzheimer’s Disease International, there were more than 55 million people suffering from the disorder worldwide in 2020. This number has been projected to double every 20 years which will result in a total of 78 million case of dementia in 2030 and 139 million cases in 2050.
Alzheimer’s disease has been found to be affecting 50% to 60% of people with dementia. Symptoms of Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia have a broad similarity between them. These include declining short-term memory or forgetting events that have happened recently.
People with Alzheimer’s face challenges performing even the simplest tasks due to difficulty in concentrating and poor judgment.
World Alzheimer’s Day is observed to raise awareness of early signs of dementia and the significance of being diagnosed as quickly as possible. The purpose of the day is to dispel popular misconceptions about dementia and raise awareness of the value of communicating about it.
Activities on World Alzheimer’s Day
On World Alzheimer’s Day, healthcare organisations support Alzheimer’s walks while seminars and public activities are held in communities around the globe to raise awareness on Alzheimer’s.
Read all the Latest Lifestyle News and Breaking News here
For all the latest Lifestyle News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
