World Alzheimer's Month: The Power of Knowledge

September is World Alzheimer’s Month. Every year, people come together from around the world to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s Disease and challenge the stigma around dementia.

This World Alzheimer’s Month, the theme is ‘The Power of Knowledge.’ The aim is to encourage everyone to learn about dementia.

Alzheimer’s Disease is neurodegenerative, meaning it progresses over time with worsening forgetfulness, getting lost in familiar places and difficulty in multitasking and problem-solving.

A person with AD may also behave differently, face concentration troubles and socially withdraw.

Why is World Alzheimer’s Month important?

Globally, dementia is one of the biggest challenges we face, with nearly 50 million people living with dementia worldwide. To tackle this challenge, we need to work together, help each other learn and share best practices.

As more people live longer life spans, the number of people with dementia is rising. Through improved public awareness and reduced social stigma, more people are seeking help when symptoms of dementia appear.

It is our aim at Bristol Black Carer’s to encouraging learning within black communities particularly.

In these communities, both culturally and traditionally, it is viewed as an obligation to take care of loved ones, and most carers tend suffer in silence.

The facts

  • Dementia is a general term for symptoms like decline in memory or thinking skills

  • Alzheimer’s is a specific disease that accounts for 60-80% of dementia cases

  • Unpaid carers supporting someone with Dementia save the economy £11 billion per year

  • There are currently around 850,000 people with dementia in the UK

  • This is projected to rise to 1.6 million by 2040

  • 209,600 will develop dementia this year, that's one every three minutes

  • 1 in 6 people over the age of 80 have dementia

The symptoms

Everyone’s experience of dementia symptoms is different, but symptoms can include:

  • changes in behaviour

  • confusion and disorientation

  • delusions and hallucinations

  • difficulty communicating

  • problems judging speeds and distances

  • problems with balance and movement

  • Dementia is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the UK. Yet just half (51%) of the public recognise that dementia can cause death.

Getting help and support as a carer

Caring for someone with dementia can bring particular challenges.

As well as the financial and physical changes caring can bring, you may be more emotionally affected as the person you love changes over time, as well as facing practical issues, such as keeping them safe.

It’s important to know that people living with Dementia can continue to live well. As a carer, it’s important to take care of yourself and your well-being too and ensure you have access to everything you need.

Dementia is a destroyer of lives for the person who is diagnosed with it, the carer, the family, and friends. Sadly, it is one that is not reversible, the person slips in and out until they are no longer there. So, I suggest to everyone to make new memories each day because the person will not remember the one you made yesterday.

- Anndeloris Chacon, Bristol Black Carers CEO

Anndeloris Chacon