Doha: The National Alzheimer’s and Memory Services helpline, ‘Raha’ celebrates its second anniversary in May this year. So far it has managed over 5,000 interactions.
The service has developed over the past two years into an invaluable resource for families caring for someone who has memory loss or cognitive decline as a result of a major illness or Alzheimer’s disease. The ‘Raha’ helpline was launched in May 2020 as part of a strategic commitment to improving the care of people with memory loss that may or may not be related to Alzheimer’s disease.
National Lead for Healthy Ageing for the Qatar Ministry of Public Health (National Health Strategy 2018–2022) and Chairperson of the Department of Geriatrics and Long-Term Care at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Dr. Hanadi Al Hamad explained the need for this service and said, “Memory loss and dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s disease, which is the most common form of dementia, can be hugely challenging for the individual experiencing associated symptoms and their carers, who are often family members.
“The ‘Raha’ service has been a real lifeline for many people, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. From the time the helpline was established until now, the team has managed over 5,000 telephone interactions with patients and caregivers,” added Dr Al Hamad.
Dr. Al Hamad, who is also the Focal Lead for Global Dementia Observatory, explained that the helpline was one of the strategic outcomes of the National Dementia Plan (QNDP) in 2018.
“The Qatar National Dementia Plan’s vision is ‘to deliver dementia care and support for individuals, their carers and families to enable them to live with dignity, respect, autonomy and equality’, and one important way for us to achieve this was the establishment of a confidential helpline that is staffed by compassionate and knowledgeable healthcare professionals. Qatar is the first Arab country to have a National Dementia Plan and the implementation of this initiative reinforces Qatar’s commitment to providing best practice dementia care.”
“Our healthcare professionals are on hand to provide telephone-based support to help people understand the possible symptoms they may be experiencing and arrange for a professional assessment. Once diagnosed, patients and their carers can call the helpline to get help in managing the impact of the condition. “
“Raha provides confidential service to people above the age of 60 years, who have concerns about their memory and also to the families or carers who have concerns about a family member experiencing memory problems,” said Dr. Pravija Manikoth, Consultant Geriatric Psychiatrist at HMC.
This confidential helpline is available on 40262222 between 8am and 3pm from Sunday to Thursday.
