I don’t need an excuse to go surfing – but if there ever was a good one, here it is: Wipeout Dementia is a surfing competition where the property industry raises money for dementia research.
Seems like the perfect fundraiser to me.
Why Wipeout Dementia?
Wipeout Dementia is a fundraiser in support of dementia research at the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA), at the University of New South Wales – just up the road from the beach.
I am proud to be participating in the Property Industry Wipeout Dementia comp for the first time on Friday 25 March 2022 at Bondi Beach.
I’ve seen first-hand the devastating impact that dementia can have on family, friends and even some of my clients. Dementia doesn’t just impact the person who has it – it also has a huge effect on loved ones and the wider community. And the facts around dementia are quite startling.
Every three seconds someone in the world develops dementia and there are almost half a million Australians with dementia right now.
Dementia is the second leading cause of death of Australians and almost one in 10 people over 65 have it.
But dementia doesn’t only affect the elderly – In 2018, there were an estimated 28,800 people with younger onset dementia. This figure is expected to rise to 29,350 people by 2028 and 41,250 people by 2058 and includes people in their 30s, 40s and 50s.
The fundraising I’m doing for Wipeout Dementia supports critical research led by the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing under The Dementia Momentum initiative, looking at risk factors and protective factors for dementia to advance healthy brain ageing. Pretty important stuff that could help a lot of people in our community going forward.
Supported by the property industry
Big names like then Prime Minister Tony Abbott and NSW Premier Mike Baird have participated in Wipeout Dementia, and the property industry decided to get involved in 2016. In 2019, they raised $210,000 but then COVID intervened so I’m hoping we can do better and raise even more in 2022, with 64 surfers participating.
I’ll be joining Duce’s Dawn Patrol (captained by Joel Ducey) alongside Ambassadors for the event, legendary 1978 World Surfing Champion Wayne ‘Rabbit’ Bartholomew and Richard Grellman, former Chairman of the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) International Limited (now WSL).
Surfing could help prevent dementia – really
The stereotype of the beach-loving, sports-mad Aussie is popular, but statistics show that in reality, Australians get far less exercise than they should. And that really matters because an active lifestyle is actually needed for preventing dementia. A lack of exercise increases risk factors for dementia that include high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes and more. Exercise also helps increase neuroplasticity – a big word for the brain’s ability to form new connections and pathways throughout your life.
According to the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, research shows that not being active enough can make you 80% more likely to develop dementia.
Surfing is great exercise, and CHeBA’s Co-Directors, Professors Perminder Sachdev and Henry Brodaty argue that exercise is one of the more effective things we can do to reduce the risk of cognitive decline and dementia later in life.
Supporting Wipeout Dementia
Since the first Wipeout Dementia competition was run in 2015 it has raised over $1.6 million dollars for dementia research at the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA). I’m so proud that the property industry is behind this great event, and pleased I’ll be surfing on the 25th of March down at Bondi to help out.
I’d be grateful if you could spare a few dollars to help my fundraising efforts to Wipeout Dementia by following this link.
Photo credit: Wipeout Dementia website
