World Alzheimer’s Month 2017

September 2017 will mark the fifth global World Alzheimer’s Month™, an international campaign to raise awareness and challenge stigma.

The impact of World Alzheimer’s Month is growing, but the stigmatisation and misinformation that surrounds dementia remains a global problem.

Donate to World Alzheimer’s Month on their FirstGiving page. Donations from the UK can be made to Friends of ADI through the Friends of ADI Virgin Money Giving page.

Get involved!

Organisations and individuals everywhere can get involved by supporting awareness, contacting the Alzheimer association in their country or requesting more information at: [email protected]

Download World Alzheimer’s Month materials below:

• World Alzheimer’s Month Poster
• World Alzheimer’s Month Bulletin
• 10 Warning signs of dementia
• Corporate Toolkit (PDF, 15 pages)

Activities during World Alzheimer’s Month

September is World Alzheimer’s Month, the global campaign for dementia awareness led by Alzheimer’s Disease International and Alzheimer’s associations worldwide. Alzheimer associations, non-profit and corporate organisations in over 70 countries took part in World Alzheimer’s Month in 2016, including by holding awareness days, events and Memory Walks.

For details of World Alzheimer’s Month activities planned in your country, please contact your local association using the Associations list. Details of events during September 2017 will be provided on this page soon.

Organisations and individuals everywhere can already get involved, by planning an event or contacting ADI for an information pack.

Dementia: The Facts

• Dementia is a term used to describe different brain disorders that affect memory, thinking, behaviour and emotion.
• Early symptoms of dementia can include memory loss, difficultly performing familiar tasks, problems with language and changes in personality. View the early symptoms.
• There is currently no cure for dementia, but a range of support is available for people with dementia and their carers.
• Dementia knows no social, economic, or ethnic boundaries.
• Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia. Other causes include vascular disease, dementia with Lewy bodies and fronto-temporal dementia.
• There are currently estimated to be over 46 million people worldwide living with dementia. The number of people affected is set to rise to over 131 million by 2050.
• There is one new case of dementia worldwide every three seconds.
• The worldwide costs of dementia are estimated at US$818 billion. As a result, if dementia care were a country, it would be the world’s 18th largest economy. If it were a company, it would be the world’s largest by annual revenue exceeding Apple (US $742 billion) and Google (US $368 billion).

Dementia is often hidden away, not spoken about, or ignored at a time when the person living with dementia and their family carers are most in need of support within their families, friendship groups and communities.

The social stigma is the consequence of a lack of knowledge about dementia and it can have numerous long- and short-term effects, including:

• Dehumanisation of the person with dementia
• Strain within families and friendships
• A lack of sufficient care for people with dementia and their carers
• A lower rate of diagnosis of dementia
• Delayed diagnosis and support

The stigmatisation of dementia is a global problem and it is clear that the less we talk about dementia, the more the stigma will grow. This World Alzheimer’s Month we encourage you to find out more and play your part in reducing the stigma and improving the lives of people with dementia and their carers in your community.

Act now!

Alzheimer associations worldwide organise a variety of activities during World Alzheimer’s Month – find one from the events page.

If you would like to organise your own event there are many ways to observe World Alzheimer’s Month – the possibilities are limited only by your imagination!

Host your own event!

Many national Alzheimer associations have been hosting World Alzheimer’s Day events for a number of years. Below are just some examples of their previous activities to provide some inspiration.

1. Alzheimer Café is a concept developed in the Netherlands and involves people with dementia and their carers meeting for social support followed by an informal gathering. Tea and coffee are provided. The support section of the meeting is led by a professional and involves a thematic talk on an emotional issue concerned with having and learning to live with dementia. There is also an opportunity for people to ask questions. Alzheimer Cafés have been very successful in the Netherlands and now take place in a number of other countries.
2. Stage an event that brings to life the number of people in your area who have dementia, such as a photo exhibition or candlelight ceremony.
3. Include information about dementia and World Alzheimer’s Month in community or office newsletters or on noticeboards.
4. Arrange for a representative from your national Alzheimer associationto visit your school, office, church, etc. to provide information about dementia.
5. Encourage your staff to wear a certain colour or dress in a certain way on 21 September, World Alzheimer’s Day.
6. Organise a Memory Walk in your community. Many associations around the world have now adopted this concept from the Alzheimer’s Association (USA). In the USA this annual series of walks is now known as Walk to End Alzheimer’s.
7. Host a social, entertainment or sports event to raise funds for your national Alzheimer association.

For more information visit www.alz.co.uk and www.awarenessdays.com