00:00 September 21st every year is World Alzheimer's Day. This international campaign is intended
00:06 to raise awareness of and challenge the stigma surrounding Alzheimer's disease and all other
00:11 forms of dementia. Around World Alzheimer's Day, many charities worldwide host memory
00:17 walks and fundraising events and campaign to bring attention to people affected by dementia.
00:24 Dementia organizations such as Alzheimer's Society believe it is crucial to understand
00:29 the risk factors associated with dementia and to take proactive steps towards risk reduction
00:35 such as staying active, stopping smoking, remaining social and reducing alcohol consumption.
00:41 This year Alzheimer's Society is hosting a memory walk in Manchester on the 8th of October
00:46 at Heaton Park where participants can share a day of advice and support whilst raising
00:51 money for the charity. The first walk starts at 11am and there is a shorter 2km and a slightly
00:58 more advanced 7km route walkers can get involved with. We spoke to Alzheimer's Society to understand
01:04 more about the early symptoms of the disease and how people living with dementia and their
01:09 carers can get the support they need.
01:12 Dementia is an umbrella term for a group of symptoms. It's caused by different diseases
01:20 like Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, frontal temporal dementia just to name a few.
01:26 These diseases can cause damage to the brain over time. Changes can start small so it can
01:32 just be memory loss, it could be more confusion, it could be concerns or issues when they're
01:39 trying to do everyday living tasks like making a cup of tea or maybe putting things in the
01:47 right place. Problems with communication, understanding language sometimes, maybe some
01:53 changes in behaviour that could all lead to something that you might want to get checked
01:58 out with the GP just to double check that everything is okay. The sooner a person gets
02:03 diagnosed it means they can access the support that's needed to ensure that they can live
02:08 well with this. One in every three people born today will develop dementia in their
02:15 lifetime so it's really important to keep talking about it and keep raising that awareness
02:22 so people know that they're not alone with this and that support and help is out there.
02:26 So we support people affected by dementia in various different ways. We have our website
02:32 full of information, fact sheets, real life stories, blogs and personal experience. We
02:39 have our online forum talking points where people affected by dementia can come together
02:45 and talk about their experiences. We have our support line and a dementia advisor can
02:52 talk to you, offer information, advice and support and we have local dementia advisors
02:57 within most communities. There are dementia advisors who can offer support and assistance.
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