Every year on September 21, World Alzheimer’s Day is observed. Alzheimer is a progressive disorder, destroys memory and leads to degeneration of cells impacting important mental functions.
Alzheimer causes impairment of speech and memory areas which is riskier than forgetfulness.
The theme for World Alzheimer’s Month 2019 will be raising awareness and challenging stigma.
As per the 2018 World Alzheimer Report, in the world develops dementia every three seconds. There were an estimated 50 million people worldwide living with dementia in 2017 — a number that will almost double every 20 years, reaching 131.5 million in 2050.
World Alzheimer’s Day 2019: Here are some common facts
- Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia and is not a normal part of aging. This year World Alzheimer’s Day, the focus is on stigma and how to break stereotypes and myths that surround the diagnosis of dementia.
- One of the most common signs of Alzheimer’s disease is forgetfulness, forgetting important dates, names or events, asking for the same questions over and over.
- Some of the other common symptoms include depression, apathy, social withdrawal, mood swings, distrust, irritability, aggressiveness, changes in sleeping habits, wandering, loss of inhibitions and delusions.
- Research has shown that poor sleep patterns like difficulty in falling asleep or staying asleep are linked to increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
- To reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, exercising regularly, eating a diet of fresh produce, healthy oils and foods which are low in saturated fat are beneficial, say, experts, adding that breathing exercises help immensely.
