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An expert in the field of dementia is calling for greater public awareness about the disease in Jamaica and for caregivers to be given more support to understand the disease and better assist persons living with it.
Debra Callender, a registered physiotherapist and dementia specialist, explained on Sunday that she has been seeing several cases of vascular dementia, which occurs when there is decreased blood supply to the brain.
About 60 to 80 per cent of cases in Jamaica "have some Alzheimer's disease involvement and vascular dementia," she revealed.
It was important to determine the particular type of dementia a patient is experiencing, in order to tailor the treatment to respond to that particular diagnosis, she said.
Ms Callender, speaking on Radio Jamaica's That's a Rap, said priority should be given to early detection through screening, stressing that "the sooner that we detect it, is the sooner we can take measures to try and keep you at that stage and sorta delay the progression, so that you have (good) quality of life for a longer period of time."
She made two main recommendations for a national policy response to the problem of demention: greater public awareness, and support for those living with the disease and their caregivers.
"It requires very specific strategies and management, so that the person who has the diagnosis can cope, and also, as they progress and require more care, we're not burdening our caregivers excessively, so the government needs to support in those two areas more."
Training for caregivers is "very important," she stressed, in order that they develop a proper understanding of the condition "and also how to help the person so that it doesn't become a very stressful situation for both them and the person living with it."
"Caregiver support is key, and general public awareness that people living with dementia can live among us peacefully," she stressed.
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