Thornhill Manor puts World Alzheimer’s Day in the spotlight
“The food market was very successful, with staff, residents, friends and family participating."
Thornhill Manor’s build-up to World Alzheimer’s Day included a food market for residents.
Commemorated on September 21, World Alzheimer’s Day sees people unite globally to raise awareness and challenge the stigma that persists around Alzheimer’s disease and all types of dementia.
According to Alzheimer’s International, the World Alzheimer Report 2019 states that many people still wrongly believe that dementia is a part of normal ageing.
This alone highlights how important public awareness campaigns are for changing perceptions and increasing existing public knowledge about Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
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The market was held on August 18.
“With the number of people living with dementia set to almost triple by 2050, it’s so important to recognise the risk factors associated with dementia and take proactive steps towards risk reduction,” said Karen Griesel, Thornhill Manor’s social worker.
This year’s theme for World Alzheimer’s Month, ‘Never too early, never too late’, centres on the key risk factors and risk reduction to emphasise their crucial role in delaying and potentially preventing the onset of dementia.
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“The food market was very successful, with staff, residents, friends and family participating.
“The event was buzzing from the onset, and we sold out of our pancakes and boerewors rolls way ahead of our allocated time,” said Karen.
She thanked each volunteer and everyone who donated something to make the market a success.
Residents also enjoyed a visit from Sergeant van Wyngart from Sandringham Police Station and her social welfare team.
The sergeant and officers helped to raise awareness about the needs of the elderly.
