Dementia is a global health issue, affecting 44 million people worldwide. In the next 20 years, dementia is expected to increase due to a lack of research, treatment and investment. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia and is one of the biggest global public health challenges facing our generation.
Dementia itself is not a disease. It is in fact caused by lots of different diseases and it is not an inevitable part of growing older. While it’s true that the majority of people with dementia are over 65, the condition is not a normal part of getting older. The likelihood of developing dementia rises with age but in the UK, over 40,000 people under 65 have dementia.
At the end of 2015, representatives from Alzheimer’s organisation from each of the G8 countries came together in London for a summit aimed at increasing international cooperation for dementia research and care. The UK has been at the forefront of the movement and has recently launched a national digital campaign #sharetheorange.
#sharetheorange campaign is aimed to fight the misunderstandings of dementia. The filmmakers use an orange to show the physical damage caused to the brain by diseases such as Alzheimer’s. The 90” live action shot challenges the general misconceptions around dementia through the peeling and dissecting of an orange- a metaphor for how the physical damage caused by diseases means the brain can weigh around 140g less than a healthy brain. The same weight as an orange.
Alzheimer’s Research UK hopes that by urging the public to share the film across social media platforms it will help to raise awareness, increase conversations and create action. It aims to increase the understanding that dementia is caused by physical diseases not just through old age.
Please go ahead and share this film about an orange on your social media channels to help the UK fight this deadly disease. Hopefully one day we will be able to defeatdementia.
