Hello, my name is Zornitsa Karagyozova and I am a member of the European Dementia Carers Working Group (EDCWG) and of the association Alzheimer Bulgaria. I want to share some information regarding one of the initiatives that our association held in Sofia, Bulgaria in October 2023. On 7 October, the Alzheimer Bulgaria association participated in the annual 5 kilometers run for the 5^th year in a row. Traditionally, the aforementioned Dementia Run takes place on the first Saturday of October and is a natural extension of the celebration of 21 September, World Alzheimer’s Day and of 1 October, International Day of Older Persons.

„Healthy prevention through sports!“ and „Let’s beat dementia together!“ were the slogans that united not only the members of Alzheimer Bulgaria, volunteers at the association from various cities across Bulgaria, their relatives, friends and supporters, but also complete strangers who came to the idea that sports and particularly running can be a form of prevention against a wide variety of diseases, including Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia. Moreover, this initiative aimed to promote the creation of a friendly and understanding social environment for individuals affected by dementia and their relatives who take care of them on a daily basis. A total of 370 people took part in the run. The youngest participants were in the age group between 8 and 14, and the oldest were between 80 and 84. In addition to that, 200 t-shirts branded with the logo and slogans of our association were distributed.