World Alzheimer’s Day
Thursday 21st September 2023
Today marks World Alzheimer’s Day, an international campaign aimed at raising awareness and challenging the common stigma that surrounds Alzheimer related dementia.
Alzheimer’s is close to the hearts of many Osborne Thomas employees and in the latter part of 2022, we collectively selected Alzheimer’s Society as our chosen charity of choice for 2023.
The first Alzheimer’s month campaign was launched in 2012. From previous studies, an average of 2 out of 3 people globally have little or no understanding of Alzheimer’s disease and associated dementia in their countries.
Globally, dementia is one of the biggest challenges we face, with nearly 50 million people living with dementia worldwide. Dementia is a group of symptoms caused by different diseases that damage the brain. The symptoms get worse over time and include memory problems, thinking and reasoning difficulties, language problems, changes to how they see and hear things and changes in mood.
There are many types of dementia, but Alzheimer’s disease is the most common. The causes of Alzheimer’s disease are very complex, but one key part is the build-up of two substances inside the brain called amyloid and tau, making it difficult for the brain to work properly.
The term Alzheimer’s can be used to describe the physical disease that damages the brain, as well as the type of dementia that the disease causes.
There are some fewer common types of Alzheimer’s disease that do not cause memory problems at first. These are known as ‘atypical’ Alzheimer’s. There are four main types, which have different early symptoms:
- one mostly affecting language, called logopenic aphasia
- one causing problems with vision and working out where things are in relation to each other, called posterior cortical atrophy
- one that affects behaviour and/or thinking, called frontal variant Alzheimer’s disease
- one that causes problems with movement and sensation as well as thinking, perception and language, called corticobasal syndrome.
What can you do on World Alzheimers Day?
There are many ways to get involved with World Alzheimer’s Day:
- Share a social media post today, raising awareness with #WorldAlzheimersDay
- Register to volunteer at a local Memory Walk
- Organise or take part in a fundraising event
- Make a donation and provide help and hope to people living with dementia
This weekend, Bethany at Osborne Thomas will be taking part in the Alzheimer’s Memory Walk. Bethany sadly lost her Nanna to Alzheimer’s on the same date last year.
Alzheimer’s Society has committed to work with partners on global research and campaigning, as well as sharing their learning, best practice, and experience with one another.
There are many ways to help someone to live well with Alzheimer’s disease. For more help and support, you can contact the Alzheimer’s Society support line, or join their online community.
Dementia Support Line – 0333 150 3456