Dementia Awareness Fun Run 2025 to promote Awareness

15 September 2025

KOTA KINABALU: Dementia is increasingly becoming one of the most pressing health challenges worldwide, including in Malaysia. In Sabah, the number of older persons living with dementia continues to rise, making early awareness, community support, and stigma reduction top priorities in the public health agenda.

In response, five organisations are joining forces in a strategic collaboration to organise the Dementia Awareness Fun Run 2025.

This will be held on Sunday, 5 October 2025 at Likas Sports Complex, Kota Kinabalu. The co-organisers of the event are the Geriatric Unit of Hospital Queen Elizabeth, Clinical Research Centre of Hospital Queen Elizabeth, the Sabah Alzheimer’s Disease Support Association (SABAH-AZ), Sabah Council of Social Services (MPMS), and Lions Clubs International District 308-A2.

The event will feature two participation categories: the 1KM Walk/Wheel, designed to be family-friendly and suitable for seniors and children, and the 5KM Run for more active participants.

More than 1,000 participants are expected to take part in this inaugural event in Sabah, which embraced a multi-generational approach involving both children and older persons.

Centred on the theme “See The Person, Not The Disease”, the programme aimed to foster empathy and understanding towards people living with dementia. It called on society to rethink perceptions of older persons and individuals with dementia, recognising them as people with rights, dignity, and potential.

“This journey is not an easy one, but through close collaboration and strong teamwork between agencies, we are moving towards positive change. Every step in this run represents a step towards awareness, empathy, and hope,” said Dr Gordon Pang, Consultant Geriatrician at Hospital Queen Elizabeth.

It is hoped that this programme will make a meaningful contribution towards shaping a caring, inclusive society that respects and supports both older persons and those living with dementia.