On the occasion of the World Day to Combat Alzheimer’s disease, celebrated on September 21, the president of the Tunisian association against Alzheimer, Afef Hammami, revealed that more than 100,000 people are directly affected by the disease in Tunisia. A figure that also increases the psychological and social burden of hundreds of thousands of relatives.
A disease in disturbing progression
A specialist in geriatrics, Afef Hammami stressed, in a declaration to the TAP agency, that these statistics reflect a worrying trend among seniors in Tunisia. It calls to consider Alzheimer not only as a medical pathology, but also as an urgent social and human question, requiring the mobilization of institutions and civil society.
Digital mobilization to raise awareness
The center specializing in early diagnosis and monitoring of memory disorders, AFA ENTER, will organize a virtual event on Sunday, September 21. This will include live interventions with experts disseminated on social networks.
Objective: to raise awareness of free number, to share clear information on symptoms, the importance of early diagnosis and differences with other forms of dementia. The emphasis will be placed on the quality of life of patients and on the crucial role of family support.
A global challenge to local repercussions
The campaign will also recall that 55 million people have disease in the world, a figure that could increase to 140 million by 2050. In Tunisia, families face multiple challenges: lack of specialized structures, taboos around cognitive disorders, and increasing financial and psychological pressure.
To give a human face to these statistics, the event will integrate testimonies from Tunisian families living on a daily basis with a reached loved one.
Experts will also insist on prevention: balanced diet, regular physical activity, cognitive exercises, but also control of risk factors such as hypertension and diabetes. The public will be able to ask his questions directly to specialists in a logic of exchange and popularization.
