Social workerslearn more about Alzheimer’s disease |25 April 2022

Social workers following the session(Photo: Thomas Meriton)

A group of social workers from the social affairs department on Saturday attended an information, education and awareness session on Alzheimer’s disease organised by the Seychelles Alzheimer’s Foundation.

The session which took place at the Exiles Club in Victoria was aimed at boosting the social workers’ understanding of the various aspects of the illness and how to deal with patients suffering with Alzheimer’s so as to raise the standards of care for Alzheimer’s sufferers.

A second batch of participants will attend the same information, education and awareness session next week.

NaneLionnet, a member of the Seychelles Alzheimer’s Foundation noted that the session is important to educate the social workers on their role about dementia.

“Very often they are the ones who visit the families and they might be the ones who diagnose somebody with dementia. The 12 participants covered essential topics such as how to communicate effectively with Alzheimer’s sufferers, the different stages of the disease and the types of behaviour at each stage. They also learned how to be patient with the people diagnosed with dementia and also how they should not get impatient while they are doing their job,”Ms Lionnet explained.

The Seychelles Alzheimer’s Foundation exists since 2016 and it is working to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s so thatpeople can have a proper diagnosis. They also go on home visits.

Ms Lionnet shared that even though more family members and people in the communities are now more aware of the illness as they are better informed, still people do not know how to deal with sufferers of Alzheimer’s.

“Having a person suffering with dementia is a 24-hour job and we have to keep supporting the families. We are assuming that in Seychelles there are more than 1,000 people living with dementia. We are hoping that with the social affairs department on board, we will be able to get a proper figure,” Ms Lionnet explained.

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. Alzheimer's is the most common cause of dementia. If you see a symptom please do not hesitate to get help from the foundation on its social media page Seychelles Alzheimer Foundation.

VidyaGappy