As part of our awareness strategy, Alzheimer’s Ghana team visited Kpone Katamanso Senior High School to educate them on Dementia. Discussions were centered on the signs and symptoms of dementia and other related disorders, their diagnosis, the role of government and the civil society in combating and managing it in Ghana.

The president of Alzheimer’s Ghana Dr. Dennis Bortey (first from right) and the Executive Director of Alzheimer’s Ghana (first from left) visited the Minister of Lands and Natural resources Hon. John Peter Amewu (second from right) and his Deputy Hon. Benito Owusu-Bio (second from left) to discuss the link between mercury and Alzheimer’s as well as the improper use of mercury by the illigal miners.

As part of our awareness strategy, Alzheimer’s Ghana team participated regularly on Radio and Television programmes to create awareness and sensitize the public on dementia, using live-broadcast and phone-in to reach out to the public. Alzheimer’s Ghana team was hosted on GTV  and UTV separately to educate and sensitize the entire public. Discussions were centered on the signs and symptoms of dementia and other related disorders, their diagnosis, the role of government and the civil society in combating and managing it in Ghana.

Person – centred care seeks to view the person with dementia as a whole, and considers how the person is influenced by factors beyond the physical changes in the brain. The person centred approach to dementia care focuses on the needs of the service user rather than on the priorities of the service provider. Instead of trying to change people’s behaviour for the benefit of the care setting, a person-centred approach seeks to resolve any difficulties in the interest of the person.

The person – centred approach to care focuses on the individual’s abilities rather than the loss of their abilities. The needs and the emotions of each person are the focal point around which everything else is geared. The person – centred approach seeks to value every person as a unique individual, taking into account their past experiences, their abilities, knowledge, preferences, desires, fears and personality. In other words, the person – centred approach seeks to value the unique personhood of every individual.

The person – centred carer will recognise that some individuals may not be fully able to look after their own well-being, but will seek to provide a positive response that enables the individual to be involved in their care wherever possible by compensating for their losses and building on their strengths and abilities. Finding out  about and  valuing each person’s talents not skills, and  understanding their hopes and fears and what  works or does not work for them, will help the carer to provide support and care that is personal to  every individual.

This approach also acknowledges what some people may term challenging behaviours as a means of communication. Some people may not be able to express what their needs are or how satisfied they are with the way their needs are being met. Care staff must strive in their attempts to understand the meaning behind the behaviour so as to engage with the individual’s expression of satisfaction or dissatisfaction in how their needs are being met.

Human Rights Day

Human Rights Day

Saturday, 10 December, 2016

Alzheimer’s and Related Disorders Association Ghana invites you to help us 10th December to celebrate Human Rights Day. Human Rights Day is observed every year on 10 December. It commemorates the day on which, in 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

In 1950, the Assembly passed resolution 423 (V), inviting all States and interested organizations to observe 10 December of each year as Human Rights Day.

This year’s Human Rights Day is devoted to the launch of a year-long campaign for the 50^th anniversary of the two International Covenants on Human Rights. The two Covenants, together with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, form the International Bill of Human Rights, setting out the civil, political, cultural, economic, and social rights that are the birth right of all human beings.

“Our Rights. Our Freedoms. Always.” aims to promote and raise awareness of the two Covenants on their 50th anniversary. The year-long campaign revolves around the theme of rights and freedoms — freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear — which underpin the International Bill of Human Rights are as relevant today as they were when the Covenants were adopted 50 years ago.

News Release

Dementia healthcare must adapt to tackle global dementia crisis

The report will be launched in London, and co-launched during the ADI African Regional Conference in Ibadan, Nigeria on World Alzheimer’s Day.

The full report is available at: www.alz.co.uk/worldreport2016

World Alzheimer Report 2016 calls for global transformation in healthcare for people with dementia

Most people with dementia have yet to receive a diagnosis, let alone treatment and care

• Balancing tasks between primary and specialist care could increase capacity and reduce costs
• Clear, evidence-based dementia care pathways should be established in all health systems, and monitored for progress towards universal coverage
• Lack of research on the effectiveness of key components of dementia healthcare is striking, and should be considered an urgent priority

A new report from Alzheimer’s Disease International, authored by researchers at King’s College London and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), reveals that most people with dementia have yet to receive a diagnosis, let alone comprehensive and continuing healthcare.

The World Alzheimer Report 2016: Improving healthcare for people living with dementia, calls for concerted action to increase the coverage of healthcare for people with dementia worldwide.

Dementia affects 47 million people worldwide and this number will treble by 2050. Currently, only around half of those in high income countries, and one in ten or less in low and middle income countries have received a diagnosis. Expanding coverage of services for increasing numbers of people with dementia can only be achieved – and a crisis averted – by boosting capacity, and the efficiency with which care is delivered.

The report highlights that dementia care being provided mainly by specialist doctors is a key barrier to progress. Greater involvement of non-specialist primary care staff can unlock capacity to meet increasing demand for dementia care, and could make the cost of care per person up to 40% cheaper. Primary care services will need to be strengthened and supported to take on this role, through specialists providing guidance and support. Affordability of new treatments is critical to ensuring equity and social justice for the two-thirds of people with dementia living in low-resourced countries.

Clear ‘care pathways’ would define roles and responsibilities within the care system, and establish standards to be monitored and met. Care pathways, a structured and organised approach to the coordination, resourcing and delivery of continuing care, are now a common component of chronic disease care for other conditions including diabetes, hypertension, and cancer care. Case management supports coordination and integration of care, and can help ensure that services are both person-centred and efficient.

Increased coverage of comprehensive healthcare services is affordable, amounting to approximately 0.5% of total healthcare expenditure by 2030. However, political will is required to establish the necessary changes.

The report calls for a radical change in the way healthcare is delivered to people living with dementia, with a rebalancing toward non-specialist primary care, and planned and coordinated inputs from all levels of the health and social care sectors. It emphasises that care must be holistic, continuous and integrated, with a focus on quality of life for people living with dementia and their carers, and explicit monitoring of processes and outcomes.

More research is needed into; the cost-effectiveness of case management; the potential for unnecessary hospital admissions to be averted or abbreviated, and the outcomes of hospital admission to be improved; the benefits and harms of advanced care planning, and a palliative care approach; and trials to establish which elements of care can be safely transferred to non-specialist services.

Glenn Rees, Chair of ADI, said, “The goal of both improving rates of diagnosis and making the global health system more efficient was critically important to the report, including a clear recommendation that we monitor the outcomes of dementia care so that people with dementia and their care partners can be better informed about the quality of care available.”

Professor Martin Prince, lead author, from King’s College London, said: “This landmark report highlights the need to redesign and repurpose dementia care services for the challenges of the 21st Century. We have just 10-15 years to get this right, planning and implementing a realistic and robust platform for delivering dementia healthcare for all, in advance of any new and more effective treatments becoming available.”

The report is released ahead of World Alzheimer’s Day, the focal point of the global World Alzheimer’s Month campaign led by Alzheimer associations around the world to increase awareness of dementia. The report includes an analysis of existing care models in Canada, China, Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa, South Korea and Switzerland. A ‘Zero Draft’ Global Action Plan on Dementia is currently being developed by the World Health Organisation in response to advocacy by ADI and others to address the growing issue of dementia globally.

The World Alzheimer Report 2016 was researched and written by the Global Observatory for Ageing and Dementia Care at King’s College London in collaboration with the Personal Social Services Research Unit at the London School of Economics and Political Sciences (LSE).