A month full of events that were open to the public were organised by the Alzheimer’s Associations – members of the Panhellenic Association of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders in order to celebrate the World Alzheimer’s Day 2019. During September, which proved to be a month of awareness for Alzheimer’s disease, some of the events that took place throughout Greece were:
In Athens: The Athens Alzheimer Association organised a series of events to raise public awareness and fight stigma surrounding Alzheimer's disease. This year’s main event was a conference hosted at Onassis Stegi Auditorium themed “Living well with dementia”, which had a huge public impact. More than 700 people, Ministers and Parliament members participated in the event. Dr Paraskevi Sakka, Chair of the National Dementia Observatory, in her introductory speech (pictured, left), presented the progress of the implementation of the Greek Dementia Action Plan and emphasised the importance of living well with dementia in dementia friendly communities, where there is access to early diagnosis, personalised treatment and quality care for every person living with dementia.
Prof. Nikolaos Skarmeas, in his speech “Research developments in the dementia field”, referred to the latest news and developments regarding dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The highlight of the event was when a person with dementia, Mrs Dena Kliosi, spoke to the public about her life after diagnosis and how she has been living everyday life since then. At the end of the presentation, the audience shared experiences, asked questions and got answers from the experts on how to live well with dementia. They were also introduced to the range of services available for people with dementia and their carers in Greece and many became members of the Athens Alzheimer Association.
In Thessaloniki: Alzheimer Hellas organised a series of events in order to raise awareness. There was an all-day information stand (pictured, right) in the city centre; participation in two festivals, where specialised personnel gave reliable information to the citizens about the disease; speeches all over the city and in other cities of Northern Greece; a theatre play; as well as the launch of a new children’s book on Alzheimer’s, entitled “Who am I grandpa?”, and a book with cognitive exercises.
Alzheimer Hellas also participated in the International Exhibition of Thessaloniki where a new cognitive assessment test for the early diagnosis of neurocognitive disorders R4Alz was presented to the public. A Facebook campaign called “Let’s talk about Dementia” was launched and Alzheimer Hellas participated in TV and radio shows informing and educating the public on matters concerning dementia. This year’s main event was held in the city of Giannitsa, where more than 500 people attended the speeches of well-acclaimed Professors of Neurology, including the speech of Prof. Magda Tsolaki (pictured, right), President of the Panhellenic Federation of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders. The audience had the chance to share their questions with the health professionals. The audience also stated their interest in participating in a series of free memory tests that Alzheimer Hellas will run in their city for a period of 5 months.
In Crete: In Heraklion, a seminar for healthcare professionals and caregivers, an art exhibition and free memory tests were held by Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association of Heraklion Prefecture - ALLILENGII.
In Chania, a seminar for healthcare professionals and caregivers and a voluntary blood donation were held by the Chania Alzheimer Institute.
Information seminars in Serres (by the SOFPSI association), Patra (by the Frontizo association) and Chalkida (by the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association of Chalkida), informational stand in other cities (Xanthi Alzheimer’ Association) and free memory tests by the Alzheimer Associations (Apostoli).
