Is observed on September 21 every year to promote awareness about the disease, its causes and the overall risks that come with it.
In many countries, World Alzheimer's Day is celebrated throughout September.
And then it's called Alzheimer's Month
World Alzheimer's Month 2022 Theme
"know dementia, know Alzheimer's". The theme is the same as 2021. However, this year the special focus is on post-diagnosis support.
The disease is widespread and fairly common, and above all incurable.
Almost 5 crore people are suffering from dementia globally.
History
The disease is named after Alois Alzheimer - a German psychiatrist - who discovered it for the first time in 1901 in a 50-year-old German lady.
It was Alzheimer's Disease International who declared September 21 as World Alzheimer's Day in 1994.
However, World Alzheimer's Month was recognized in the year 2012.
Alzheimer's is a form of dementia
In which you lose your cognitive functioning - thinking, remembering, and reasoning - to such an extent that it interferes with daily life and activities.
Dementia is the state of declining mental ability.
Alzheimer's is just one of the diseases that cause dementia.
Is it a genetic disease?
Research shows that people with a parent or sibling suffering from Alzheimer's are more likely to develop this disease in themselves.
The risk increases if more than one family member has the illness.
Injury to the brain can also induce Alzheimer's
Is Alzheimer's curable?
There's currently no cure for Alzheimer's disease. But there are medicines available that can temporarily reduce the symptoms.