To honour World Alzheimer?s Day, a local senior citizens? advocate wants Bermudians to salute caregivers.

World Alzheimer?s Day yesterday was designed to raise awareness about the disease. There are an estimated 24 million people around the globe who have dementia. In Bermuda there are about 111 people with it.

This year marks a century since German psychiatrist and neuropathologist Alois Alzheimer first described the disease that would later be named for him.

Alzheimer?s disease, one form of dementia, is a progressive, degenerative brain disease. It impairs memory, thinking and behaviour.

The main feature of the disease is memory loss. There may also be changes in speech, decision making, judgment, and personality.

?I took care of my mother for about two years,? said Corita Saunders, Government Co-ordinator for Seniors and seniors community advocate. ?It was stressful. Most times it is the female in the family who takes on the responsibility of caregiving. It is important that other family members play their part as well.?

To mark the day, The Alzheimer?s Family Support Group will be holding a special showing of the film ?The Notebook? at the Liberty Theatre on Sunday, September 24 at 4.30 p.m.

The Notebook, based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks, is about a man in a nursing home reading from an old notebook to an elderly nursing home resident who has Alzheimer?s. Through the notebook he tells her the story of their love that began during World War II in North Carolina.

Tickets are $25 and are to raise money for Alzheimer?s. Tickets are available from the Liberty Theatre, Caesar?s Pharmacy Somerset, Robertson?s Drug Store in St. George?s, and the Christian Bookstore.

Mrs. Saunders said caring for someone with Alzheimer?s disease brings a new challenge to a family.

?Caring can be frightening and overwhelming with feelings of tiredness, as the condition gets worse with time,? she said. ?Every case of Alzheimer?s disease is different. For the caregiver it can be hard on the body and cause a lot of stress. Getting help when you need it can help relieve stress.?

She said caregivers actually have a high risk of depression and other sickness when compared with others.

?It is important for the caregiver to take care of themselves ? mind, body and spirit during these times,? she said.

?Caregivers with little or no help from family and friends have the highest risk of illnesses.?

In 2000, there were 30 men in Bermuda with the disease and 81 women.

?The numbers are steadily increasing as more seniors are living longer,? said Mrs. Saunders. ?The older you get, the greater your risk of developing Alzheimer?s, although it is not part of normal ageing. In people with Alzheimer?s disease, changes in the brain may begin ten to 20 years before any symptoms appear.

?It is not clear why some people with Alzheimer?s disease experience faster decline than others. Family history is another common risk factor.?

Mrs. Saunders said there are a number of organisations that can help families including The National Office for Seniors and the Physically Challenged, The Alzheimer?s Family Support Group, Meals On Wheels, Age Concern, and The Alzheimer?s and Related Disease Unit (ARDU) on Point Finger Road in Paget, among others.

?I am hoping that caregivers will feel like there is a support group and network where they can get advice and counselling and meet with other people who have experienced the same thing and have positive things come out of it, and know where they can seek help,? said Mrs. Saunders.

She said that families in need of a break can call the National Seniors Office for help in finding respite care.

?It helps to get an early diagnosis and the right treatment for your loved one?s symptoms as this can slow progress of the symptoms and make caregiving easier to manage,? said Mrs. Saunders. ?In order to make intelligent health care decisions, one should always consult with a physician as well as other health care professionals for you or your loved one?s personal needs.?

Mrs. Saunders hoped that the world was on the edge of a breakthrough in Alzheimer?s research and medication.

Early signs of Alzheimer?s include:

Difficulty learning and remembering new information

Having trouble naming common items

Difficulty managing finances, planning meals, taking medication on schedule

Loss of interest in things they once liked to do

Gets lost easily even along once familiar routes

Personality changes

For more information contact The National Office for Seniors and the Physically Challenged at 292-7802, the Alzheimer?s Family Support Group at 238-2168 or email juliekayibl.bm.