Press. voanews.com
The World Health
Organization warns the number of people living with dementia globally will
triple from 50 million to 152 million by 2050. WHO is launching a global
monitoring system on dementia, which will track progress and identify areas of
concern. The WHO reports
dementia exacts a huge social and economic burden, one that will grow as people
age and succumb to this mental illness.
The agency
estimates five percent of the world’s older population suffers from dementia
and is in need of care. Belying common belief, WHO says this is not mainly a
problem of rich countries as dementia also affects people living in poorer
countries.
The health
agency says the cost of caring for dementia patients today is $818 billion or
one percent of the world’s Gross Domestic Product. Tarun Dua is a medical
officer in WHO’s Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse. She says this
economic cost will be more than $2 trillion by 2030.
“Moreover, there
is stigma, human rights violations associated with people with dementia and
their caregivers," said Dua. "And, therefore, it is imperative that
we have a public health response. An important step that has been taken by all
member States has been endorsing an action plan on dementia this year.”
She says the
plan focuses on caring for people who have dementia, on preventing and on
finding a cure for this illness. She says raising awareness of this problem is
essential. “Many people
consider that dementia is a normal part of ageing, which is not true,"
said Dua. "We need to think about risking, preventing dementia because the
risk factors for dementia are the same for communicable diseases. So, good
exercise, good diet, no tobacco, decreasing alcohol, all of this can decrease
the risk of dementia.”
Along with this,
she says elderly people who suffer from depression should receive treatment for
this malady. She says social inclusion and cognitive exercise are other
strategies that should be employed to reduce the risk of dementia.
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