1 September marks the beginning of World Alzheimer’s Month. This year, we are raising awareness and encouraging our global network and beyond to ask more questions about dementia. To coincide with the launch of World Alzheimer’s Month, Paola Barbarino, CEO of ADI, has recorded a special video message.
Transcript:
Dear friends, colleagues and members of ADI,
I’m Paola Barbarino, CEO of Alzheimer’s Disease International
We have come again to our annual World Alzheimer’s Month, a truly global campaign, engaging millions of people each year and bringing us all collectively together to advocate for greater awareness of dementia, for those living with the condition and their carers, both now and in the future. The importance of this campaign cannot be overstated, as we draw closer to the profound milestone of a predicted seventy-eight million people living with dementia globally by 2030. We truly are living in a world where dementia touches every community.
Whether you have dedicated years to this cause or are just beginning to learn about dementia, I invite you to reflect on a simple, powerful question: What do the people around you really know about dementia?
Think of your loved ones, your neighbours, your colleagues, and your online communities. Are we, in our collective societies, truly informed? Are we prepared to recognise the risk factors and warning signs, to respond and provide support to those affected with understanding and empathy?
This year’s theme, “Ask About Dementia. Ask About Alzheimer’s,” encourages exactly that, curiosity, conversation, and courage. Because asking questions leads to understanding. And understanding leads to action.
We encourage everyone to get involved. It can be as simple as using the hashtags #AskAboutDementia and #AskAboutAlzheimers in your online posts or downloading our posters to display at your place of work, or even contact your Alzheimer and dementia association, offer your support, attend an event, do a memory walk, raise awareness.
We know that the right knowledge can be life-changing. The right information, shared at the right time, can improve lives; locally, nationally, and globally. It can lead to timely diagnosis, access to treatment and better care, and to stronger support systems. And most importantly, it can help reduce stigma and isolation.
So today, as we launch this month of global awareness, I encourage you to be a voice that is bold enough to ask those questions around dementia. Be a spark that ignites a conversation in your community. Together, let’s ask about dementia.
Thank you.