World Alzheimer’s Day 2017 – Remember Me!!
World Alzheimer’s Day 2017 – Remember Me!!: World Alzheimer’s Day, September 21st of each year, is a day on which Alzheimer’s organizations around the world concentrate their efforts on raising awareness about Alzheimer’s and dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, a group of disorders that impairs mental functioning.
Facts:
- Every 3 seconds someone in the world develops dementia but most people with dementia do not receive a diagnosis or support
- In 2017, there will be an expected 10 million new cases of dementia
- Governments must develop their own national plans
- Dementia will become a trillion-dollar disease in 2018
- Dementia can start to develop in the brain as far as 20 years before onset
Dementia is one of the most significant global health and social crises in the 21st century, yet too often diagnosis is made late. There is no cure for dementia. Nearly 50 million people are currently living with dementia worldwide, and this figure is expected to reach 132 million by 2050 if effective risk-reduction strategies are not implemented.
Dementia is a collective name for progressive brain syndromes which affect memory, thinking, behaviour and emotion. Dementia is the leading cause of disability and dependency among the elderly. Although each person will experience dementia in their own way, eventually those affected are unable to care for themselves and need help with all aspects of daily life.
Dementia is a progressive, degenerative brain syndrome that affects memory, thinking, behaviour and emotion. Dementia knows no social, economic, ethnic or geographical boundaries and affects people throughout the world. As dementia progresses individuals affected need care with all aspects of daily life, worldwide families mostly provide this care. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia and accounts for 50-60% of all cases and is caused by abnormal brain tissue changes.
Signs and symptoms
- Memory loss
- Difficulty performing familiar tasks
- Problems with language
- Disorientation to time and place
- Poor or decreased judgement
- Problems keeping track of things
- Misplacing things
- Changes in mood and behaviour
- Trouble with images and spatial relationships
- Withdrawal from work or social activities
Prevention Tips
Some risks factors to brain health cannot be controlled or prevented, like your age or genetics. Other risk factors, like health choices, are under your control. For example, you can:
- Get active and stay active.
- Manage cardiovascular risk factors such as smoking, diabetes, hypertension, and obesity.
- Learn new things.
- Connect with your family, friends and communities.
(CDC)
Tips to reduce Alzheimer’s risk:
- Maintain a healthy weight.
- Eat mindfully. Include vegetables and fruits; whole grains; fish, lean poultry, tofu, and beans and other legumes as protein sources; and healthy fats in your diet.
- Exercise regularly for about 30 minutes every day as this helps improve blood flow to the brain.
- Keep an eye on important health numbers such as cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure, and blood sugar.
- Exercise the brain through related games such as puzzles, crosswords, memory, and mental activity games.
