Abbott’s mission to ‘Wipeout Dementia’
A campaign to raise funds for dementia research has seen Prime Minister Tony Abbott ride the waves as he showcased his water skills in the ‘Wipeout Dementia Surf Off’ in the town of Queenscliff in Victoria over the weekend.
Prime Minister Abbott rides the waves in the 'Wipeout Dementia Surf Off' in the town of Queenscliff in Victoria over the weekend.
Prime Minister Abbott was a participant in the inaugural Wipeout Dementia Surf Off on Saturday, raising almost $100,000 for The Dementia Momentum initiative at the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA).
“Research is incredibly important for all our futures because with life expectancies getting up to the mid 80s and beyond a lot more people are going to end up with dementia of one form or another,” Prime Minister Abbott says.
Spokesman for The Dementia Momentum, Richard Grellman AM, says the event was an extraordinary success and credited the 16 other participants for their dedication in raising awareness and for their training efforts over the last four weeks.
The four week event, sponsored by Watson Mangioni Lawyers, was in honour of Mr Grellman’s wife, Suellen, who has advanced young onset Alzheimer’s disease. He says the key message is for all Australians to get active to reduce their risk of dementia.
At the awards ceremony following the Surf Off, Prime Minister Abbott congratulated Mr Grellman on his effort to increase awareness and raise funds for CHeBA.
Newly re-elected NSW Premier Mike Baird, who was unable to participate due to a prior engagement, calls for more support from community and corporate philanthropy for The Dementia Momentum.
“With a rapidly expanding ageing population, dementia is set to bring an enormous challenge to health, aged care and social policy. I fully support Mr Grellman in his role with CHeBA to drive positive change for the future of all Australians,” Premier Mike Baird says.
The Wipeout Dementia concept is the brainchild of Heidi Mitchell, marketing and communications officer for CHeBA.
Mr Grellman’s passion for surfing and his strong group of surfing friends and colleagues, in their 50s and 60s, was the inspiration behind the campaign.
Campaign co-ordinator, Rob Gillespie, who managed the Surf Off, credits his mother in law, Colleen Nichols, for coming up with the 'Wipeout Dementia' title.
Co-directors of the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, Professors Perminder Sachdev and Henry Brodaty, say one of the most effective strategies people can adopt to reduce the risk of cognitive decline and dementia later in life is to become physically active from an early age, and remain active throughout our lives.
“By improving physical activity by just 5%, as many as 100,000 fewer Australians would develop dementia by 2050, and it is never too late to begin exercising,” Professor Sachdev says.
“The SMART trial conducted with our collaborators showed that physical exercise reduced the rate of decline in cognitive function in those with mild memory problems,” he adds.
Make a donation to The Dementia Momentum by emailing Heidi Mitchell at heidi.mitchell@unsw.edu.au or phone (02) 9382 3398. Find out more information about The Dementia Momentum.
