September is World Alzheimer’s Month

World Alzheimer’s Month is the international campaign every September to raise awareness and challenge the stigma that surrounds dementia. September 2018 will mark the 7th World Alzheimer’s Month. The campaign was launched in 2012: World Alzheimer’s Day is on 21 September each year.

Two out of every three people globally believe there is little or no understanding of dementia in their countries. The impact of World Alzheimer’s Month is growing, but the stigmatisation and misinformation that surrounds dementia remains a global problem, that requires global action.

Why not get involved? There are so many things you can do. Here are just a few…

*Have you considered joining our Book of You team as a Volunteer and helping people with dementia to create digital reminiscence or life story books using our multimedia web app? Full training will be given and you don’t need to be a technical whiz as our app is simple to learn and fun to use. Contact info@bookofyou.co.uk for more details.

*Become a Dementia Friend. Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Friends programme is the biggest ever initiative to change people’s perceptions of dementia. It aims to transform the way the nation thinks, acts and talks about the condition. Whether you attend a face-to-face Information Session or watch the online video, Dementia Friends is about learning more about dementia and the small ways you can help. From telling friends about the Dementia Friends programme to visiting someone you know living with dementia, every action counts. And why not become a Dementia Friends Champion and run sessions for others, spreading the knowledge throughout your community? More details here: Dementia Friends

*Organise or join in with a Memory Walk. Help fund vital research by joining over 100,000 walkers, united against dementia. Memory Walk is a sponsored walk for all ages and abilities to unite together to raise money to defeat dementia. The walks are spread across England, Wales and Northern Ireland and each walk will take on a different route through either a city, woodlands or a park. Find our more here Memory Walk

*Join Dementia Research. Research offers hope. It is only through research that we can understand what causes the disease, develop effective treatments, improve care and hopefully one day find a cure. But for research to progress we need more people to take part in more studies. Our knowledge of dementia currently lags behind that of other major conditions, such as cancer or heart disease. We have to close this gap. One of the big difficulties researchers face today is recruiting participants for their studies. At the same time, many people are looking for studies to contribute to and take part in, but don’t know where to find out about them. This is why the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) in partnership with Alzheimer Scotland, Alzheimer’s Research UK and Alzheimer’s Society have developed Join Dementia Research, a service which allows people to register their interest in participating in dementia research and be matched to suitable studies. Find out more here: Join Dementia Research

These are just a few suggestions but there are many more. Take a look online or contact your local branch of Alzheimer’s Society or your local volunteering service to find out what’s on offer in your area. World Alzheimer’s month is the perfect time to start!