MANILA, Philippines - Many people still regard dementia as a part of normal aging, but the fact is, it is not. This misconception causes people not to seek proper medical care thinking that nothing can be done about it.
Even if they did want to get help for it, there are few health service providers with proper knowledge and training on dementia management they could consult with.
Dementia is a syndrome, comprising of different impairments in the cognitive functioning of the brain such as memory and learning, orientation as to time, place and person, judgment, abstract thinking and visuo-spatial functioning and such changes are sufficient to interfere with the individual’s ability to carry out daily activities.
As the disease progresses, disturbing behavioral and personality changes develop. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia accounting for about 60 percent of the dementias.
According to Dr. Socorro Martinez, president of the Alzheimer’s Disease Association of the Philippines (ADAP), by the year 2030, it is projected that about 14 million Filipinos will be at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and other related disorders.
It is a spreading epidemic that we need to act on right now. All it requires is the proper awareness of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in particular.
ADAP has always sought to heighten public awareness about the disease to dispel these misconceptions and to demystify the stigma attached to dementia.
Since the declaration of the third week of September as National Alzheimer’s Awareness Week through Presidential Decree 1130, they have been to Cebu, Ilocos Norte and Baguio to establish a framework of interaction among the local government of those provinces, the family caregivers and its healthcare providers.
For this year, their focus will be on the province of Laguna. Other than their usual objectives, however, they will also establish the Laguna chapter of ADAP and will induct its pioneering officers. All these will be held in the province’s capital of Sta. Cruz.
Last Sept. 13, they conducted a workshop on the different dementia screening tools to the core members of the Los Baños Community-Based Dementia Care project. This project, which will be launched in Sta. Cruz tomorrow, aims to incorporate dementia care into the primary health care of the community.
ADAP extends their advocacies to improving the quality of life not just for patients but to the family caregivers as well. It is them who lose productivity in spending lots of time in looking after persons with dementia after all.
Alzheimer’s disease is a unique illness wherein treatment must be directed to the two victims of the illness — the patient and the caregiver. Because of the stress of caregiving, the caregiver often lapses into depression and thus is liable to incur physical illnesses. In this regard, ADAP also aims to have care facilities such as the Los Baños Community-Based Dementia Care project to provide assistance to families in looking after their elderly loved ones as they go out to work. Good care, after all, is important in helping patients cope with their disability. They plan to have more of these in various localities all over the country.
Aside from tomorrow’s launch of Los Baños project, ADAP will also conduct a basic dementia training course for barangay health workers in Laguna. This will be in collaboration with the government of Laguna and the Laguna Medical Society.
In the afternoon, there will be a post-graduate training course for primary care physicians and nurses in Laguna. This will be based on the book, “Alzheimer’s Disease Association of the Philippines Recommendation on Diagnosis, Prevention and Treatment of Alzheimers Disease.”
After the lecture will be the induction of the pioneer officers of the ADAP Laguna chapter, followed by the worldwide launch of the new World Alzheimer’s Report.
On Saturday will be the “Memory Walk” activity to heighten public awareness and to call on the public and the government to do something, says Martinez.
Afterward, will be a lay forum on dementia for the general population of Laguna at the Cultural Center in Sta. Cruz. Lastly, there will be screening tests for memory, diabetes, hypertension and osteoporosis for senior citizens.
Novartis Healthcare Philippines, a multinational pharmaceutical corporation, supports ADAP in providing quality health care for patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.