World Alzheimer's Month 

Published at 06 September, 2021.

Every September, people come together to raise awareness and to challenge the stigma that persists around dementia. This September marks the 10th year of this global awareness campaign.

21st September also marks World Alzheimer’s Day, the theme for the 2021 campaign is Know Dementia, Know Alzheimer’s.

Receiving a diagnosis of dementia is often a challenging and difficult process and varies greatly around the world. The stigma surrounding dementia means that many avoid seeking a diagnosis until the very late stages of the condition.

Globally, dementia is one of the biggest challenges faced, with nearly 50 million people living with dementia worldwide. 

The 10 warning signs of dementia include:

1. Memory loss
2. Difficulty performing familiar tasks
3. Problems with language
4. Disorientation to time and place
5. Poor or decreased judgement
6. Problems keeping track of things
7. Misplacing things
8. Changes in mood and behaviour
9. Trouble with images and spatial relationships
10. Withdrawal from work or social activities 

The World Health Organisation estimates that 14% of cases of dementia worldwide could be caused by smoking.

A review of 37 research studies found that compared to never smokers, current smokers were 30% more likely to develop dementia in general and 40% more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease. Compared to light smokers, the risk of Alzheimer’s disease was significantly higher among medium to heavy smokers.

The evidence is that stopping smoking reduces your risk of dementia, this is similar to other findings with smoking, where stopping smoking leads to a reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease or of cancer.

If you are a smoker and worried about dementia, we can support you with your smokefree journey and reduce the risk of dementia.

There are many ways we can help:

Quit online - https://yorkshiresmokefree.nhs.uk/pages/quit-online

Our online quit tool will allow you to create your own personal profile and will support you on a daily basis through your quit journey.

Telephone support - our advisors are on hand to answer any questions or provide additional support as you need it. You can call 0800 612 0011 (free from landlines) or 0330 660 1166.

Visit our frequently asked questions section to find out more: https://yorkshiresmokefree.nhs.uk/frequently-asked-questions