September is dedicated to raising awareness of Alzheimer's disease, from which about 70,000 people in Croatia suffer, and their problems with memory loss and personality changes are in the focus of World Alzheimer's Day, observed on 21 September.

Croatia does not have a register of patients yet, but it is estimated that about 100,000 people have some form of dementia,, including 70% with Alzheimer’s disease, the head of Zagreb’s Vrapce Psychiatric Hospital, Ninoslav Mimica, has told the Croatian state news agency Hina.

Sixty million people in the world live with dementia, whose most frequent cause is Alzheimer’s disease, which prompted the World Health Organization to declare dementia a public heath priority in 2012 and recommending that member states come up with national strategies and actions plans to combat dementia. Over 40 countries have done so.

According to Mimica, Croatia should adopt an action plan for persons with dementia and their carers next year.