Doha: Throughout September, Qatar is supporting World Alzheimer's Month with a series of public awareness events that underpin the global campaign theme of “Let’s Talk About Dementia”.
This year’s theme was a call to action for everyone to tackle the fear and stigma surrounding dementia.
World Alzheimer's Month, the international campaign is held each September to raise awareness and challenge the stigma that surrounds dementia, with events taking place throughout the month.
Though the impact of World Alzheimer's Month is growing, the stigmatisation and misinformation that surrounds dementia remains a global problem.
“While awareness of dementia is increasing around the world, especially in higher-income countries, understanding of Alzheimer’s remains low. This has frequently led to a negative impact on patients living with Alzheimer’s, their families, and communities,” according to Dr. Hanadi Al Hamad, Qatar’s National Health Strategy lead for Healthy Ageing and Medical Director of Rumailah Hospital and Qatar Rehabilitation Institute.
ADI survey
Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) conducted one of the largest-ever global studies on attitudes about dementia as a part of ongoing efforts to help reduce stigma and increase awareness about Alzheimer's, the most common cause of dementia, in 2019.
Nearly 70,000 people, across 155 countries, including Qatar, completed the survey. The findings were published in the World Alzheimer Report 2019: Attitudes to Dementia. Some of the most notable findings included that almost 80% of the general public are concerned about developing dementia at some point in their life and that one in four people think there is nothing they can do to prevent dementia.
Health officials, and family members and caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s disease at Al Bidda Park to mark World Alzheimer’s Day recently.
The report also revealed that 35% of carers across the world said that they have hidden a family member’s dementia diagnosis. Over 50% of carers globally say their health has suffered as a result of their caregiver responsibilities, even while expressing positive sentiments about their role.
Additionally, almost 62% of healthcare providers worldwide think that dementia is part of normal ageing and about 40% of the general public believe doctors and nurses ignore people with dementia.
ADI research has shown that globally two out of every three people believe there is little or no understanding of dementia in their country. The impact of World Alzheimer's Month is growing, but the stigmatization and misinformation that surrounds dementia remain a global challenge.
Efforts by Qatar
Qatar is one of the few developed countries and the only Arab country which has developed a national plan for dementia.
The Qatar National Dementia Plan, was launched by H E Dr. Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari, Minister of Public Health, in November 2018 as part of a long-term plan to enhance services and care for people living with dementia and to provide support to caregivers.
The Qatar National Dementia Plan aims to outline the future vision framework of the services provided to the people with dementia, their families and their caregivers, through increasing the public and professional awareness of dementia, stressing the importance of diagnosis and intervening early, in addition to improving the therapeutic methods and healthcare after diagnosis.
The plan sets out seven action areas addressing sections of dementia care which will have an impact on improving the quality of care, in line with the Qatar National Health Strategy (2018-2022).
The action areas focus on making dementia a public health priority by encouraging dementia awareness and support, improving dementia diagnosis, treatment, care and support, promoting risk reduction, developing information systems for dementia, developing support for carers and supporting research and innovation into the disease.
In recognition of World Alzheimer’s Month this year, the Qatar National Dementia Plan team held a series of events to raise awareness of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s as part of a wider effort to improve early detection of the condition. Within two years, Qatar has achieved 70% of the goals set by the dementia plan, according to Dr. Hanadi Al Hamad.
Lack of understanding
Alzheimer's is the most common cause of dementia — a continuous decline in thinking, behavioural and social skills that disrupts a person's ability to function independently.
“There is a limited understanding of the signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s. Many people think it is a normal part of ageing. In many cases, family and friends simply do not know how to talk about someone they care about when that individual is experiencing a significant decline in memory, reasoning, and thinking abilities. Stigmatization and lack of information surrounding this disease, and dementia in general, remains a global health problem,” said Dr. Al Hamad.
She has been a key driving force in the development of geriatric care services and Alzheimer’s awareness in Qatar. Dr. Al Hamad is also the WHO representative for Elderly People Care for the State of Qatar, the Global Dementia Observatory (GDO) focal point, and an executive member of the European Association of Medicine of Ageing.
“Elderly people with Alzheimer’s often have multiple medical comorbidities, meaning they have one or more additional diseases or disorders that need medical care. However, Alzheimer’s symptoms can often make it more difficult to provide even simple care. Often families delay seeking medical support for a family member with Alzheimer’s, or delay getting a diagnosis, due to stigma. However, while there is no cure for Alzheimer’s, an early diagnosis can help people and their families to be better prepared and better cope with the progression of the illness. It can also help them manage other health problems more effectively,” said Dr. Al Hamad.
National Helpline
The National Alzheimer’s and Memory Services Helpline was launched on June 15, in a new initiative to improve the care given to the elderly in the country. The helpline service provides information about Alzheimer’s and related dementias and memory loss while giving support to help people manage the impact of the condition at the same time.
A multidisciplinary team including geriatricians, geriatric psychiatrists, psychologists and specialised nurses with multi-lingual skills are assigned to support callers of this helpline. They will listen to the caller and direct them to appropriate services or provide guidance to help them overcome any challenges they might face related to this condition,” she said.
Helpline is available on 4026 2222 between 8am and 3pm, from Sunday to Thursday.
