Worldwide Dementia Awareness Month

September is Worldwide Dementia Awareness Month Some Worrying Statistics

 There are 850,000 people with dementia in the UK, with numbers set to rise to over 1 million by 2025. This will soar to 2 million by 2051.

 225,000 will develop dementia this year, that’s one every three
minutes

 1 in 6 people over the age of 80 have dementia.

 70 per cent of people in care homes have dementia or severe memory problems.

 There are over 40,000 people under 65 with dementia in the UK.

 More than 25,000 people from black, Asian and minority ethnic groups in the UK are affected.

 Worldwide – There are currently estimated to be over 46 million people worldwide living with dementia.

 Worldwide -The number of people affected is set to rise to over 131
million by 2050.

 Worldwide- There is one new case of dementia worldwide every three seconds.

Dementia is often hidden away, not spoken about, or ignored at a time
when the person living with dementia and their family carer’s are most in
need of support within their families, friendship groups and communities.
The social stigma is the consequence of a lack of knowledge about
dementia and it can have numerous long- and short-term effects, including:

 Dehumanisation of the person with dementia
 Strain within families and friendships
 A lack of sufficient care for people with dementia and their carers
 A lower rate of diagnosis of dementia
 Delayed diagnosis and support

Ten early symptoms of dementia to keep a look out for:

1. Memory loss
2. Difficulty in performing everyday tasks
3. Problems with language
4. Disorientation to time and place
5. Poor or decreased judgment
6. Problems with keeping track of things
7. Misplacing things
8. Changes in mood or behaviour
9. Changes in personality
10. Loss of initiative

Dementia is a very hard illness not just for the patient but for family and
friends that are close to the person. Anita and I both lost our mothers to
Alzheimer’s, and I know from personal experience my mother and
stepfather attached social stigma to the illness and did not want people
to know which caused many problems for the people around them. I
have worked in a dementia daycare centre and one of my clients who
sadly passed away a couple of years ago (not from Alzheimer’s) spent
many years volunteering at Wexham Park Hospital putting strategies into
place so that staff and volunteers were aware of how to deal with
patients with dementia as there was at the time a lack of understanding
and we used to talk at length as to the strategies and the progress (or
lack of) that he was making. I have treated people with Alzheimer’s and
the difference it made to them and their carer’s was enormous. Simply
from helping with posture, that allows better breathing which quietens
the anxiety, helps with sleeping and allows for a better food intake. Anita
specialises in homeopathy, but also has nutrition and reiki qualifications
and is an amazing therapist.

On a positive note there are many things that you can do now to help
yourself avoid dementia and encourage people with dementia to do

1 Good nutrition
2 Regular Exercise
3 Optimised Vitamin D Levels
4 Optimised Sleep
5 Stress Reduction and management
6 Don’t smoke
7 Reduce alcohol consumption
7 Brain Training – there are lots of brain training games available
nowadays
8 Specific supplements can help, these are not listed as they would need
to be checked with current levels and any medications taken
If you would like any further information or advice do please contact us at
hello@thewellnesscentre.co or call 07710722615. There are also many
groups out there that may be able to help such as
https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/ and https://www.dementiafriends.org.uk/