A month full of events was organised by the Panhellenic Federation of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders and its members, to celebrate the World Alzheimer’s Day/Month 2022. The Panhellenic Federation’s TV spot with famous Greek actors aired on 13 TV channels for a month, to raise awareness among the public, and interviews were hosted on various websites, TV and radio shows, and in magazines. Every Thursday afternoon, an online speech was available to healthcare professionals and the public. More specifically, in September and October, these speeches were focused on the prevention of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Beta-amyloid, on elderly abuse, on dementia rights programmes, on physical exercise, and on home-care interventions. The President of the Federation, Professor Magda Tsolaki, gave an online speech on modern data on the treatment of cognitive disorders, in the context of the opening ceremony of the 8th Pancreatic Interdisciplinary Alzheimer's Disease Conference in Crete. Throughout Greece, speeches (online and face-to-face), art events, free memory tests and many more awareness activities were hosted by the Panhellenic Federation's members associations. Here is a selection of their events: In Athens, the Athens Alzheimer Association organised a successful memory walk (pictured) on 24 September, in the presence of the deputy Minister of Mental Health, Zoi Rapti, together with other stakeholders, carers and members of the public. The message was "You lose your memory, not your rights" and at the end, a concert was held by the famous composer and singer Stefanos Korkolis. Elsewhere in Athens, Nestor held an information stand, while Karreleio held speeches and memory tests in facilities for the elderly, in different areas of the city. In Thessaloniki, Alzheimer Hellas organised a successful opening ceremony for the Palliative Care unit for patients with dementia at the end stages. This care unit, Panagia Glikophilousa, is the first one of its kind, for this population, operating in Greece and will host 25 patients.
At the opening ceremony, many stakeholders were present and they outlined the importance of this new service: Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Stavros Kalafatis, Deputy Minister of Mental Health, Zoi Rapti (via video message), the Rector of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, plus many representatives from the various municipalities, universities and from the local community. In Larissa, the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association of Larissa started an information campaign on 1 September, using the slogan “Together: For the present and the future of Alzheimer’s disease”. This was an information campaign carried out door-to-door, as well as at the local market, with the distribution of printed materials on the 10 warning signs of dementia, the 12 risk factors, on stigma and on post-diagnostic care for people with AD.
Citizens also had the opportunity to join the 4th annual “Memory Walk”, called “Mnemosini”, that took place in the city streets, dressed in purple. In Rhodes, the Alzheimer's Association Panakeia held a screening of a Greek movie on AD, called “Gia thimise mou”. It also carried out blood-pressure tests and memory tests on World Alzheimer's Day, 21 September, in the city centre, to promote the importance of healthy living. In Heraklion, Crete, the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association of Heraklion Prefecture (ALLILENGII) hosted the hybrid 8th Pancreatic Interdisciplinary Alzheimer's Disease Conference. In Patra, the Frontizo association developed useful videos, shared on social media, with advice on AD prevention, as well as a main event with the message "Creating communities for all ages without discrimination". Finally, in Chania, on 1 October, the Alzheimer’s Association of Chania held a scientific conference, aimed at informing and raising public awareness on issues related to AD.
