MUSCAT: On September 21, the Royal Opera House Muscat went purple to mark World Alzheimer’s Day. 'Time to Act on Dementia, Time to Act on Alzheimer’s' is the theme for World Alzheimer’s Day 2024.
The Oman Alzheimer’s Society has been conducting events to join in with the international campaign to raise dementia awareness and challenge stigma.
The World Alzheimer’s Report: Global changes in attitudes to dementia 2024, conducted by Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) commissioning the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), was released on September 20 ahead of World Alzheimer’s Day. Results from the world’s largest global survey on attitudes towards dementia reveal stigma around the condition is worsening among the general public and even healthcare professionals.
The awareness continues to be much needed because globally, according to Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI), 65 per cent of health and care professionals incorrectly believe dementia is a normal part of aging, up from 62 per cent in 2019.
Globally, 80 per cent of the general public thinks dementia is a normal part of aging rather than a medical condition, a dramatic increase compared to 66 per cent in 2019.
On the other hand, people are also becoming aware of the effects of their lifestyle on the risk of developing the condition, with over 58 per cent of the general public believing dementia is caused by an unhealthy lifestyle. With 45 per cent of dementia cases reported to be impacted by just 14 modifiable risk factors, this is important progress, according to Alzheimer’s Disease International.
Dr Hamed al Sinawi, Chairman, Oman Alzheimer’s Society, said, “The key message is that risk reduction starts at an early age so healthy habits can be built into one's yearly routine. This is why it is important to understand how psychology interacts with health and how we can adopt new healthy lifestyles and keep it up.”
Experts listed two new modifiable risk factors for dementia: Cholesterol and eye health in addition to what was already established by the Lancet Commission in 2020, where it was established that 12 of the risk factors that are linked to 40 per cent of all dementia cases are: alcohol abuse, smoking, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, air pollution, brain injury, physical inactivity, depression, social isolation, hearing loss, and lower levels of education.
According to the Commission’s new report, high cholesterol after the age of 40 and vision loss contribute to about 9 per cent of all dementia cases — 7 per cent for high cholesterol and 2 per cent for vision loss. Reducing the risks of dementia starting as early as childhood could reduce the number of people living with dementia by nearly half, said a new report by the Lancet Commission on dementia prevention, intervention and care.
Experts say that governments should prioritise large-scale attempts to reduce these risks, with enormous social and economic benefits to slowing the surge of dementia worldwide.
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