This September 2018, EMJ Supports…

Written by Kim Cordell  |  Product Development Administrator, European Medical Journal  |  @EMJ_Kim

This September, EMJ proudly showcases its support for World Alzheimer’s Month and National Doodle Day.

Running every September as an international campaign designed to raise awareness of the disease, World Alzheimer’s Month campaigns to challenge the stigma surrounding dementia. The term dementia is used to describe different brain disorders that affect memory, thinking, behaviour, and emotion, and there are currently an estimated >46 million people living with the disease, a number forecast to rise to >131 million by 2050.¹

Although the World Alzheimer’s Month campaign continues to gain momentum each year and this year marks the 7^th annual awareness campaign, many believe the stigmatisation and misinformation surrounding dementia remains a global problem, with two out of every three people believing there is little or no understanding of dementia in their country.² This year’s campaign continues to mirror previous campaigns in highlighting the importance of early detection and diagnosis of dementia.

Friday 21^st September marks National Doodle Day in the UK, through Epilepsy Action’s annual online auction of celebrity doodles, with famous faces picking up their pens and pencils to help make the future better for people living with epilepsy. By raising funds through this annual online auction, Epilepsy Action can continue to provide the latest expert advice through their Helpline and website, and “help more people to beat the loneliness that epilepsy can bring by expanding Epilepsy Action’s network.”³

References:

1. Alzheimer’s Disease International. Dementia: The Facts. Available at: https://www.alz.co.uk/world-alzheimers-month/dementia-facts. Last accessed: 23 August 2018.
2. Alzheimer’s Disease International. September is World Alzheimer’s Month. Available at: https://www.alz.co.uk/world-alzheimers-month. Last accessed: 23 August 2018.
3. Epilepsy Action. What is Doodle Day? Available at: https://www.epilepsy.org.uk/doodle-day/what-is-doodle-day. Last accessed: 23 August 2018.