“You are not alone”
Dementia Awareness Month runs from 1 September to 30 September every year. The theme for 2016 is “You are not alone”.
September is Dementia Awareness Month when we aim to give Australians a better understanding of what it is like for a person to live with dementia. It also highlights the importance of accessing services and information early to empower and enable everybody impacted by dementia, including carers.
There are more than 353,800 Australians living with dementia.
Alzheimer’s Australia Vic is presenting a number of events and activities across Victoria, and we would love the Moonee Valley Health and Fitness community to get involved.
What is Dementia?
Dementia describes a collection of symptoms that are caused by disorders affecting the brain. It is not one specific disease.
Dementia affects thinking, behaviour and the ability to perform everyday tasks. Brain function is affected enough to interfere with the person’s normal social or working life.
What Causes Dementia
There are many different forms of dementia and each has its own causes.
The most common types of dementia are Alzheimer’s disease, Vascular dementia, Parkinson’s disease, Dementia with Lewy bodies, Fronto Temporal Lobar Degeneration (FTLD), Huntington’s disease, Alcohol related dementia (Korsakoff’s syndrome) and Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease.
Who gets Dementia
Most people with dementia are older, but it is important to remember that not all older people get dementia. It is not a normal part of ageing.
Dementia can happen to anybody, but it is more common after the age of 65 years. People in their 40s and 50s can also have dementia.
What can be done to help?
At present there is no prevention or cure for most forms of dementia. However, some medications have been found to reduce some symptoms. Support is vital for people with dementia. The help of families, friends and carers can make a positive difference to managing the condition.
For more information about events in your local state or territory, access to resources or to find out how to get involved go to: https://www.fightdementia.org.au/dementia-awareness-month
Local Awareness in the Melbourne Community
September is Dementia Awareness Month, and here at Moonee Valley Health and Fitness we’re aiming to help Melbourne to learn more about the condition.
Exercise as medicine for dementia
Dr Ronald Petersen, Director of the Alzheimer’s Research Centre at the US Mayo Clinic, has stated that, “Regular physical exercise is probably the best means we have of preventing Alzheimer’s disease today, better than medications, better than intellectual activity, better than supplements and diet”.
Research has found that 13% or 4 million Alzheimer’s disease cases worldwide were found to be attributable to physical inactivity. There is a great amount of evidence which has demonstrated that exercise is indeed medicine for the prevention and treatment of dementia. Exercise has not only been shown to decrease a person’s risk of developing dementia, but can also slow the onset of disease.
Exercise Physiologist Melbourne
- Moonee Valley Health and Fitness – Exercise Physiology
- Call: (03)9996-0790
- Email: info@mvfit.com.au
- Fax: 03 8692 6715
We are here to help you!
For more information about dementia and exercise, contact your local healthcare professional or speak to our exercise physiologists at our Melbourne Clinic at Moonee Valley Health and Fitness.
Get in touch with us today and book an initial consultation with our Melbourne Exercise Physiologist’s.
For more information:
Visit the website: www.fightdementia.org.au or call the National Dementia Helpline on 1800 100 500 to receive information, education, counselling and support groups.