September is World Alzheimer’s Month, an international awareness campaign that takes place every year, with 21st September designated as World Alzheimer’s Day.
Led by Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI), the annual campaign was devised to bring everyone together to raise awareness of dementia and to try to breakdown the stigma and tackle the discrimination that still exists around the condition.
ADI also states that World Alzheimer’s Month seeks to highlight the “positive steps being undertaken by organisations and governments globally to develop a more dementia friendly society.”
They provide a range of resources and campaign materials to enable organisations, groups and individuals to take part in World Alzheimer’s Month.
The theme for World Alzheimer’s Month 2024 is “Time to act on dementia, Time to act on Alzheimer’s.”
World Alzheimer’s Month reveals ‘truly global perspective’ on dementia
The 2024 campaign will, once again, focus on raising awareness of dementia and specific issues directly affecting those living with dementia and their carers, and addressing attitudes towards dementia as well as the false belief that it is just a normal part of ageing.
Earlier this year, ADI launched the 2024 Attitudes Towards Dementia global survey, which will inform the World Alzheimer Report 2024, due to be released on the eve of World Alzheimer’s Day (20th September).
The first survey of this kind was conducted by ADI in 2019 and has been repeated annually since to provide a “truly global perspective” on attitudes and beliefs about Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
Published every World Alzheimer’s Month since 2009, the World Alzheimer Report has previously focused on a range of issues, including reducing dementia risk (2023), navigating life after diagnosis (2022), dementia-related design and the built environment (2020) and improving healthcare (2016).
World Alzheimer’s Month in the UK
Nearly one million people in the UK are currently living with dementia.
Dementia UK highlights the fact that this equates to almost a million families – millions of individuals – affected by the condition. They are using World Alzheimer’s Month to amplify the often-unheard voices of the millions of people living with dementia, their carers and loved ones.
Their contribution to the awareness campaign includes a video where people living with dementia, or individuals caring for someone with dementia, share what they would like to say to the Prime Minister about the condition.
They are also encouraging more people to get involved in World Alzheimer’s Month and support their message through:
- Contacting their MP – individuals can e-mail their local MP to invite them to meet with Dementia UK. This is part of efforts to show MPs “the urgent need to fix dementia care and to secure their support.”
- Sharing their story – individuals impacted by dementia in any way are urged to share their experiences on social media, tagging @dementiauk
- Making a donation – Dementia UK is appealing for individuals to donate anything they can spare to help them “make our calls for improved dementia care louder than ever before.”
The key message from Dementia UK this World Alzheimer’s Month is that, currently, those families living with dementia are being failed by dementia care in the UK. They want to instigate change and “turn things around.”
Similarly, Alzheimer’s Society are aiming to “bring dementia out from behind closed doors, this World Alzheimer’s Month” and push for it to be made a bigger national priority.
The national charity explains:
“Dementia is the UK’s biggest killer. It’s the largest health and social care issue of our time, yet it isn’t the priority it needs to be. The impact of this is enormous – on the lives of those it affects, on the healthcare system and on the economy.”
Like Dementia UK, they are urging people affected by dementia to share their stories and help create “an unignorable case for action.”
New drug to slow down Alzheimer’s disease
This year, World Alzheimer’s Month follows multiple headlines about a new drug that can slow down Alzheimer’s disease ivn its early stages.
Known as a disease-modifying drug, in clinical trials Lecanemab (also known under the brand name Leqembi) was shown to slow down the decline in memory and thinking skills of people living with early stage Alzheimer’s disease.
It was confirmed in August that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) had approved Lecanemab in the UK as a safe and effective treatment.
This potentially represents a huge breakthrough in dementia care and treatment but, at present, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) have not recommended that Lecanemab be made available on the NHS. This is due to concerns that the drug is not clinical or cost-effective, providing only minimal benefits for a significantly high cost.
A month-long consultation will be held on the NICE guidance and a final decision will be provided at a later date.
Alzheimer’s Society welcomed the MHRA approval, calling it “a significant step towards a more hopeful future” for all people with early stage Alzheimer’s disease. But they said that it was “disappointing that NICE has not recommended approving Lecanemab for use on the NHS at this stage.”
They added:
“We respect the decisions regulators have made, however we know these announcements will bring a mix of emotions for those who have been waiting a long time since the promising trial results were first announced.
“The NICE recommendation reflects the urgent challenges which must be addressed regarding how we diagnose and treat people with dementia.
“Now more than ever, Alzheimer’s Society is calling on governments and health systems across the UK to prioritise dementia by improving early diagnosis in order to deliver ground-breaking treatments at scale.”
It is possible that Lecanemab may become available in the UK through private healthcare providers.
A brighter future for those living with Alzheimer’s disease
Although there is still no cure for dementia, researchers now have a better understanding of the underlying disease mechanism and this means they can target future research to develop new and more effective treatments.
Lecanemab is an immunotherapy drug which targets a protein called amyloid. It is thought that when amyloid proteins build-up in the brain they are toxic to brain cells, eventually causing them to die, and it is this that leads to symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. Lecanemab uses antibodies to recognise amyloid build-ups in the brain and works with the brain’s immune cells to clear them.
But Lecanemab is just one of a number of amyloid targeting immunotherapy drugs. Donanemab is another such drug that is currently waiting for approval from regulatory bodies, and there are a further 127 drugs currently in clinical trials.
The future may be looking brighter for individuals diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease.
The Alzheimer’s Society continues to provide support online as well as a dementia support line where individuals currently living with the disease can access personalised information, support and advice 7 days a week (0333 150 3456).
Targeted training this World Alzheimer’s Month
First Response Training (FRT) is a leading, national training provider.
They deliver over 6,000 courses each year in the fields of health and safety, first aid, fire safety, food safety, mental health, health and social care and other special focus topics.
Their diverse portfolio includes training awards specially designed for health and social care workers, such as Dementia Awareness, Safeguarding Adults, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Person Centred Care and Support, Dignity in Care and many others.
Their course portfolio spans Care Certificate standards, mandatory training awards, clinical skills, special focus courses and training for supervisors and managers.
Their Curriculum team recently updated their Dementia training courses to include the latest information on Lecanemab and Donanemab.
A Trainer at FRT, says:
“World Alzheimer’s Month is an important awareness campaign that highlights the true global impact of this disease.
“In the UK, around 900,000 people are affected by dementia and researchers anticipate that this will increase to 1.6 million people by 2040. There is currently no cure for the disease but there are treatments available to help manage symptoms and lots of specialist support for people and their families.
“It will be interesting to see what the World Alzheimer Report 2024 reveals about current attitudes and beliefs about dementia. Someone in the world develops dementia every 3 seconds. In the UK alone, it happens every 3 minutes. It is therefore essential that we all have a better awareness and understanding of this condition.
“Training in dementia awareness is key for all individuals working in health and social care and can help ensure that care provided for people is safe, effective, compassionate, person-centred and dignified.”
Key signs and symptoms of dementia can include:
- Memory loss
- Disorientation
- Poor concentration
- Mood changes
- Self-neglect
- Weight loss
- Perception changes
- Sensory loss
- Depression
- Incontinence
- Behavioural changes
- Repetitive behaviours
- Communication difficulties
For more information on the training provided by FRT, please call them on freephone 0800 310 2300 or send an e-mail to info@firstresponsetraining.com.