Health Days 2023

World Alzheimer's Day

Overview:
Alzheimer's is a disease that often affects the elderly. A person with it begins with mild memory loss affecting parts of the brain that control thought, memory and language. This leads to a loss of the ability to have a simple conversation, or to interact with surrounding events. It is the most common type of dementia, and it can affect a person's daily activities. Therefore, on September 21 of each year, the World Alzheimer’s Day is celebrated, whose name is derived from the name of the German doctor (Alois Alzheimer), who discovered it in 1906 AD, after he noticed anatomical changes in the brain of a woman who died of an unusual mental illness.
Objectives:
  • Raising and strengthening health awareness about Alzheimer's disease in the world.
  • Developing services provided to Alzheimer's patients in all stages of the disease.
  • Reducing the risk of Alzheimer's disease through lifestyle changes and adopting a healthy lifestyle.
  • Holding workshops dealing with facing challenges, delivering comprehensive services to Alzheimer's patients, and caring for them in the right ways.

Facts:
  • The number of people with this disease doubles every 5 years after the age of 65.
  • By the year 2060, the number of people infected with this disease could reach almost three times the current number, i.e. 14 million infected people.
  • Education can reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease.
  • Alzheimer's disease is not a normal stage of aging.
  • There are approximately 130,000 people with Alzheimer's disease in Saudi Arabia.

Official Date:
Globally: September 21st, 2023
Locally: Rabi’ al-Awwal 6th, 14445H


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Last Update : 07 February 2023 03:38 PM
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