World Alzheimer’s Day, celebrated every year on 21 September, is an international campaign to raise awareness and combat the stigma surrounding Alzheimer’s disease. With around 50 million people around the world living with Alzheimer’s or a similar type of dementia and millions more being diagnosed each year, it is vital to raise awareness and provide support for people with the disease.
The motto for 2023 is “Never too early, never too late”, focusing on risk factors and highlighting their critical role in potentially delaying or even preventing the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. It also encourages early intervention, healthy lifestyle choices and regular health monitoring as part of prevention.
What is Alzheimer’s disease
Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disorder that worsens over time. It causes the brain to shrink and eventually, the death of brain cells. It is the most common cause of dementia, the gradual decline in memory, thinking and social skills. Of the estimated 55 million people with dementia worldwide, 60-70% are estimated to have Alzheimer’s disease.
In most cases, Alzheimer’s disease occurs in people over 80 years of age and its cause is multifactorial. Genetic and environmental factors, as well as lifestyle factors, interact to cause the disease to develop.
Early signs of the disease include loss of memory for recent events or conversations. Over time, Alzheimer’s disease progresses to severe memory problems and loss of the ability to perform daily tasks.
Symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease
Memory loss is the main symptom of Alzheimer’s disease. Early signs include difficulty remembering recent events or conversations. But as the disease progresses, memory gets worse and other symptoms develop. At first, a person who has the disease may notice that they have trouble remembering things and thinking clearly. As symptoms worsen, a family member or friend may be more likely to notice the problems.
The brain changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease lead to increasing problems with memory. Everyone has memory lapses at times, but the memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s disease persists and worsens. Over time, memory loss affects the ability to function at work or at home.
People with Alzheimer’s disease may:
-Repeating statements and questions over and over again.
-Forget conversations, appointments or events.
-Placing objects in the wrong place, often in incoherent places.
-Getting lost in places they knew well.
-Forgetting the names of family members and everyday objects.
-Have difficulty finding the right words for objects, expressing thoughts or participating in conversations.
In addition, Alzheimer’s disease causes difficulty concentrating and thinking, especially about abstract concepts such as numbers. For a person with the disease to do more than one task at a time is particularly difficult. It can be difficult to manage finances and pay bills on time. Eventually, a person with Alzheimer’s disease may not be able to recognize and manage numbers.
Alzheimer’s disease also causes a decrease in the ability to make rational decisions and judgments in everyday situations. For example, a person with the disease may wear clothes for the wrong type of weather or not make good decisions when driving. People with advanced Alzheimer’s disease forget how to do basic daily activities such as dressing and bathing.
The brain changes that occur in Alzheimer’s disease can affect mood and behaviour. The problems that may occur are as follows:
-Depression
-Loss of interest in activities
-Social withdrawal
-Mood changes
-Distrust of other people
-Anger or aggression
-Changes in sleep habits
-Unnecessary wandering
-Loss of suspensions
-Hallucinations
There is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease. Medications can improve or slow the progression of symptoms, and programs and services can help support people with the disease and their caregivers. In advanced stages, severe loss of brain function can cause dehydration, malnutrition or infection. These complications can lead to death.