Alberto Lejarraga
Gibraltar has welcomed World Alzheimer’s Month as the Government issued a statement last Friday to highlight the importance of raising awareness of the condition.
Under this year’s theme of ‘never too early, never too late,’ Chief Minister Fabian Picardo’s message marked the start of the period.
“Dementia is something we, unfortunately, cannot avoid. It is something I have seen in my own family. It’s something I know has deeply affected very many families in Gibraltar and around the world,” he said.
He went on to emphasise the teamwork between the Government and the Gibraltar Alzheimer’s and Dementia Society to combat the disease, praising the charity.
“I want to recognise the great work done in partnership by the Government and the Gibraltar Alzheimer’s and Dementia Society. Last year, I became a Dementia Friend, alongside my cabinet colleagues and committed my Government’s support to making Gibraltar a Dementia Friendly society. I am very pleased to see that many Government departments and Ministries have now become Dementia Friends and, like me, are now even more aware of what it is like to live with Dementia.”
Currently, there are 366 people living with dementia in Gibraltar, which accounts for over 1% of its population.
And, in the world, more than 55 million people live with the condition, with approximately 10 million new cases each year, according to the World’s Health Organisation.
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