Caregivers in homes for elderly better equipped to detect dementia |04 August 2021

The delegates with their certificates in the presence of psychiatrists Lezcano and Jean-Louis and director general Morin

Carers working in homes for the elderly and staff from the elderly and disabled persons division in the Ministry of Family, Youth and Sportswho followedtraining sessions last yearon how to cope with elderly people suffering from dementiaand subsequently Alzheimer, have been awarded with their certificates.

This was during a short ceremony on Mondayafternoon at Unity House attended by the director general of the elderly and disabled persons division Rosa Morin.

The aim of the training which was initiated for the staff of the thenNational Council for the Disabled in partnership with the mental health department in the Ministry of Health in 2020, was to equip the delegateswith knowledge on dementia to allow for early detection in people suffering from memory loss and cognitive function in the elderly homes on Mahe, Praslin and La Digue as well as in the communities.

Not all of the 62delegates were present to collect their certificates due to Covid-19 restrictions. It was the two directors in the elderly and disabled persons division‒ Marco Gerry (for disabled persons) and Lisa Cadeau (for elderly persons) ‒, theadministrator for the Pointe Larue home for the elderly May-Rose Mathiot and home carerSamantha Sinon from the Plaisance home for the elderlywho received the certificates on behalf of their colleague participants. The certificates were presented by psychiatristsRodriguez Lezcano and Doris Jean-Louis from the mental health department.

“The target is that they do not become a nurse or a health work but that they are able to recognise the symptoms of dementia so that they can inform us about any patient they suspect has this kind of situation,” psychiatrist Lezcano said.

The psychiatrist added that specific characteristic symptoms to look for to identify if someone has dementia is memory loss, misplacing things or repeating the same phrases all the time.He noted though that at times it is very difficult to recognise dementia in people with high level of intelligence who get to hide the symptoms of the illness unless they come forward themselves for help .

He stated that with an ageing population, the country is also at risk of having an increase in the number of people suffering from dementia which is also common worldwide. Dr Lezcanoadded that dementia also occurs in people below 65 years of age, noting that the country needs a daycare for dementia so that better care could be given to all patients at the same time. He recommended a good healthy lifestyle, with a good diet and physical exercise to avert, to some extent, the dilemma of gettingdementia.

Psychiatrist Jean-Louis added that once a patient from the elderly homes or in the community has been identified,he or she is expected to be transferred to the wellness clinic at the North East Point Regional Home but this is not happening at the moment as the home is full and identified patients will have to be treated from their place of origin. She stated that although there are no dementia patients at the moment in the elderly homes, a plan is being worked out to properly assist diagnosed patients away from their place of residence.

Mrs Jean-Louis said the training kicked off in March 2020 with the launch at the La Retraite home for the elderly at Anse Etoile. The training sessions were moved to the Plaisance home for the elderly but had to be stopped after four sessions due to Covid-19 restrictions. She added that the training started again in July 2020 after restrictions were eased and it ended in August 2020. The sessions included theoretical, oral and written examinations on the detection of the illness further to brain training, diet and physical exercises, among others, as part of recuperative measures to assist diagnosed dementia patients.

Both home administrator Mathiot and carer Sinon saidthe training will help them to be more attentive to signs in relation to recognisingdementia in the people they carefor.

“Before when I saw these signs I usedto categorically declare those people as being mentally ill (fou ek fol) but when I look back it clearly had something to do with dementia,” Ms Sinon said.

As for Ms Mathiot, she said: “Now, I will definitely know when they enter into the stage of dementia. The training has opened my eyes to watch out for signs in relation to the illness, which I did not know about.”

Director for disabled persons, Marco Gerrysaid theidea behind the training was to get all involved in caring for elderly citizens in the homes and in the community to recognise signs of the illness so that theyare given the necessary care. He said internal structural changes within the ministry with regards to the formation ofthe elderly and disabled persons division and also the Covid-19 situation,delayedthe certificate presentation.

Dementia is a general term for loss of memory, language, problem-solving and other thinking abilities that are severe enough to interfere with daily life. It is link to Alzheimer which is a progressive disease of the brain that slowly causes impairment in memory and cognitive function. Although dementia mostly affects older adults, it is not a part of normal aging. The exact cause of dementia is unknown and no cure is available.

The life expectancy for somebody suffering from dementia leading up to Alzheimer is eight to 10 years upon diagnosis. Life expectancy is less if the person is diagnosed in their 80s or 90s. Nonetheless, it has been found that a few people with Alzheimer sometimes live longer for 15 or to even 20 years.

Patrick Joubert