| Azlan Othman |
DEMENTIA is becoming an increasing public health concern in Brunei Darussalam.
According to the Asia-Pacific Region report of Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) in 2015, there are about 2,000 people living with dementia in the Sultanate.
Most of these cases are undiagnosed, said Dr Hazri bin Haji Kifle, Deputy Permanent Secretary (Policy) at the Ministry of Health (MoH), during the Dementia Care Skills Course held at the Radisson Hotel in the capital yesterday.
Dementia is an umbrella term for a group of terminal conditions that progressively diminish brain function. Symptoms include increasing memory loss, confusion, and difficulties with speaking and understanding. Alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia, accounting for nearly two thirds of cases. Other types include vascular dementia and mixed dementia.
Dementia is one of the major causes of disability and dependency in older people worldwide. It is not a normal part of ageing and has physical, psychological, social and economic impact, not only to the person who has it but also on their carers, families and society, Dr Hazri said.
“There is often lack of awareness and understanding of dementia, so it is usually unrecognised, leading to late diagnosis. In the Asean region, Brunei is predicted to have the third highest proportion of older people by 2040 (behind Thailand and Singapore).
“There is also a concern with the rate of non-communicable diseases such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes and renal disorders. These two factors will likely contribute to an increased prevalence of dementia in the near future,” he added at the start of the five-day ‘Train-the-Trainer’ programme.
“In May this year, the World Health Assembly endorsed the Global Action Plan for Dementia 2017-2025 with the aim to improve lives of people with dementia, their families and those who care for them, while decreasing the impact of dementia on families, communities and countries,” Dr Hazri said.
According to him, the Brunei Darussalam Declaration on Strengthening Family Institution: Caring for the Elderly was adopted at the 7th Asean Ministerial Meeting for Social Welfare and Development in 2010.
“Asean member states agreed to develop social support systems and encourage the development of education programmes to enhance the ability of families to take care of the elderly and strengthen family and community care through skills training and lifelong learning.
“Brunei is committed to take action in support of this, with the Dementia Care Skills Course ‘Train-the-Trainer’ programme as one of our initiatives to tackle the disease,” he noted.
Dr Hazri said that the programme is also aligned with one of the Brunei Vision 2035 goals, which is to achieve a high quality of life.
“I believe that this workshop will meet its objective, and hence, will help ensure that the high quality of life is also extended to those living with dementia,” he added.
“Furthermore, in line with the Ministry of Health’s strategic priority – which is to bring forward the ‘Health is Everyone’s Business’ agenda – I hope that this workshop will further strengthen the collaboration between the MoH, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (MCYS) and various organisations by working together on dementia issues.
The ‘Train-the-Trainer’ programme is organised by Alzheimer’s Disease International’s Asia Pacific Regional Office (ADI-APRO) and Alzheimer’s Disease Foundation Malaysia (ADFM), in collaboration with the MoH, Brunei Darussalam. Its objective is to provide training for caregivers on the best practices of Alzheimer’s associations and other organisations around the world, including an overview of dementia, effective commu-nication, understanding behavior, care worker issues and support services.
Fifteen officers from the MoH and the MCYS, medical officers, geriatric and neurology nurses, occupational therapists, psychologists, physiotherapists, community development and social welfare officers and full time volunteers are attending the programme.
The course is delivered by trainers including D Y Suharya, Regional Director of ADI-APRO; Datin Jacqueline Wong, Honorary Secretary of ADFM; Mazni Kaswani, Senior Programme Executive at Alzheimer’s Disease Association Singapore; as well as Dr Onn Lih Vei and Suryati Kalman, co-facilitators from the Raja lsteri Pengiran Anak Saleha (RIPAS) Hospital.
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