“Seeing it sooner” for World Alzheimer’s Day

9 September 2009
Media Release

“Seeing it sooner” for World Alzheimer’s Day

By 2050, it is estimated 146,699 New Zealanders will have dementia. Currently, 40,746 New Zealanders have dementia. Every year, 12,333 new cases are reported.

Worldwide, more than 30 million people have the debilitating disease, which affects memory, thinking, behaviour and emotion. Many of these 30 million are not given a diagnosis. The number of people with dementia is set to rise to over 100 million by 2050.

“See it sooner” is the theme of this year’s World Alzheimer’s Day - Monday 21 September. From Australia to Zimbabwe people with dementia, their carers and Alzheimer’s associations will take part in activities to raise money and awareness of dementia.

Local Alzheimer’s organisations around New Zealand will continue their outreach to the community to help people recognise signs of dementia in order to get an early diagnosis.

“Diagnosis is an essential first step towards receiving appropriate help and support. Without a diagnosis, people with dementia will remain confused and bewildered by what is happening to them. Carers are frustrated, irritated and angry because the person they love is changing in a way they do not understand,” says Alzheimer’s New Zealand national director Johan Vos.

Vos says local Alzheimer’s organisations are there with open arms to welcome people in the community with memory or cognitive problems who struggle on without getting help.

Although memory problems can be attributed to a number of things, such as stress, depression and the side effects of medication, Vos says a lot of people affected by dementia don’t make contact with their local support organisation until the later stages of the disease, or at all. “Therefore, they miss out on care, education programmes, support groups and information,” he says.

As part of World Alzheimer’s Day, Alzheimers New Zealand asks people to sign the Global Charter, a petition drawing attention to the urgent action needed from governments and stakeholders to make dementia a health priority around the world. Currently, dementia is not a health priority in New Zealand.

“With so many people affected it is time dementia was recognised as a national and global health priority. We must combat stigma and ignorance so that people with dementia receive the care, treatment and attention they deserve.”

World Alzheimer’s Day is coordinated by Alzheimer’s Disease International, the federation of 71 Alzheimer’s associations worldwide.

To sign the charter, please visit http://www.globalcharter.org/
To contact your local Alzheimer’s organisation, please call 0800 004 001.

Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease

Dementia occurs as a result of physical changes in the structure of the brain which affect memory, thinking, behaviour and emotion. In New Zealand, 40,746 people have dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia (50-70%).

By 2026, 74,821 people will have dementia
By 2050, 146,699 people will have dementia.

These numbers are growing dramatically due to a growing senior population combined with the fact people are living longer. Diagnosis is also being made at an increasingly younger age, sometimes in people as young as 50. There is no cure.

ENDS

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