World Alzheimer's Day: History, Significance And All On Dementia Awareness

Every year on September 21, World Alzheimer's Day is observed. It is a global effort to raise awareness and challenge the stigma around Alzheimer's disease and other dementia.

Alzheimer's is a severe brain disorder of memory loss and confusion. If it is not diagnosed and managed on time, it can also adversely impact one's mental abilities of learning, thinking, reasoning, remembering, problem-solving, decision-making, and attention.

Every year, a particular theme is followed, this year, the theme is "Time to act on dementia, Time to act on Alzheimer's".

The theme focuses on attitudes towards dementia and addresses the stigma and discrimination that still exists. Some of the common attitudes towards dementia are the common belief that dementia is a normal part of ageing, with 62% of healthcare practitioners actually believing it to be true. 35% of carers had hidden a diagnosis of dementia and 1 out of 4 thought that nothing could be done about it.

History

The first time this day was introduced was in 1994 in Edinburgh, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of Alzheimer's Disease International (ADI). This organisation was founded in 1984 to support and guide Alzheimer's disease patients and their families.

The organisation also runs Alzheimer's University and aims to connect people around the world to promote Alzheimer's Month, which is also celebrated in September.

What Is Dementia, What Is Alzheimer's?

As per Neha Sinha, Dementia Specialist, CEO and Co-founder of Epoch Elder Care, it is a progressive decline in cognitive abilities, including memory, language, problem-solving and other thinking skills. It is severe enough to interfere with daily life. "It primarily affects older adults, with Alzheimer's being the most common," she says.

Alzheimer's accounts for 60 to 80% of all dementia cases around the world. It is estimated that the prevalence of Alzheimer's worldwide is around 2.4 crores.

While Dementia is the general term for a range of symptoms that affect cognitive abilities, while Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia.

Shilpi Saraswat, Clinical Psychologist at Sakra World Hospital, Bengaluru points out that the main risk factors of dementia are age, genetics, long-term health conditions, lifestyle choices such as smoking or excessive alcohol use, one's gender and cognitive reserve.

Dementia In Indian Household

Sinha points out that in India, the subtle onset of dementia is quietly emerging as a silent epidemic, affecting millions of households across the country. As per the Neurological Health Atlas of India, 8.8 million elderly are currently living with dementia. "A number that can be doubled by 2036," says Sinha.

Sinha also points out that since its earliest symptoms are often ignored as signs of early ageing, Dementia stays ignored and creeps into the household unnoticed.

"Discovering Alzheimer’s early can be a pivotal moment, offering a window of opportunity that changes the course of the disease. With an early diagnosis, we can initiate medical treatments and a management plan, that may slow down the progression, giving patients and their loved ones more quality time together," says Sinha.

When care is tailored to the person, not just the disease, it profoundly enhances their quality of life. It’s about more than just managing symptoms—it’s about nurturing emotional well-being, maintaining dignity, and providing the support that adapts as the disease evolves.

Can Hearing Loss Lead To Dementia?

While age is one of the risk factors in dementia, Dr Sanjay Sachdeva, a senior ENT at HearClear India suggests a link between hearing loss and dementia.

As per a study by the Lancet Commission on Dementia, untreated hearing loss can give rise to greater cognitive decline and even account for approximately 8% of dementia cases worldwide. This means, 8 lakh of the nearly 1 crore new cases of dementia are diagnosed every year.

"Considering that auditory information plays a pivotal role in forming memories and associations, hearing impairment interferes with the brain’s ability to process auditory information, which consequently deteriorates memory and learning abilities," says Dr Sachdeva. Additionally, hearing loss in ageing people can go beyond the inability to hear things and can contribute to social isolation in them.

What Can Help Reduce It?

Saraswat point out that by modifying 12 risk factors through lifestyle changes, 40% of the dementia cases can be delayed.

Some of the specific actions include maintaining systolic BP of 130 mm Hg or less in midlife from around age 40 years (antihypertensive treatment for hypertension is the only known effective preventive medication for dementia).

Encouraging the use of hearing aids for hearing loss and reduce hearing loss by protecting of ears from excessive noise exposure.

Other such prevention methods include:

• Reduce exposure to air pollution and second-hand tobacco smoke.
• Prevent head injury.
• Limit alcohol use, as alcohol misuse and drinking more than 21 units weekly increase the risk of dementia.
• Avoid smoking uptake and support smoking cessation to stop smoking, as this reduces the risk of dementia even in later life.
• Provide all children with primary and secondary education about brain health.
• Reduce obesity and the linked condition of diabetes. Sustain midlife, and possibly later life physical activity.
• Addressing other putative risk factors for dementia, like sleep, through lifestyle interventions, will improve general health.