Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) Department of Geriatrics and the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) team are collaborating on a programme to evaluate the increasing effects and growing challenges of dementia in Qatar.
A key initiative within the extensive programme is raising awareness among the general public of this global problem. A community engagement event will be held on Wednesday at the Qatar Foundation headquarters building in Education City.
The activities, scheduled to take place between 5:30pm and 8pm, will include a series of talks by leading world experts in the study and care of dementia patients.
One of the international speakers is Professor Rowan Harwood, a consultant geriatrician and  professor at the University of Nottingham where he has wide clinical and research interests including delirium, dementia, stroke, continence, rehabilitation, falls and clinical ethics.
Visitors can also get first-hand accounts from patients and their carers about the every-day challenges of living with dementia. Entry to the activity is free and some Arabic language explanations will be available.
“I can think of no other condition that has such a profound effect on loss of function, loss of independence, and the need for care,” said Dr Hanadi Alhamad, chairperson of geriatrics at HMC and WHO Focal Point for the Global Dementia Observatory.
“I can think of no other condition that places such a heavy burden on society, families, communities, and economies. I can think of no other condition where innovation, including breakthrough discoveries, is so badly needed,” she explained.
Dementia is caused when the brain is damaged by diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease or a series of strokes. Dementia is not a specific disease but an overall term that describes a wide range of symptoms associated with a decline in memory, behaviour or other thinking skills severe enough to reduce a person’s ability to perform everyday activities.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) there are many misconceptions and a lack of understanding of dementia. For instance, although dementia mainly affects older people, it is not a normal part of ageing. Worldwide, 47.5mn people have dementia and there are 7.7mn new cases diagnosed every year. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, accounting for at least 60 to 70% of cases.
“Unique among countries in the region, Qatar is determined to lead on the issue of dementia,” said Egbert Schillings, CEO, WISH.
“A broad local coalition is involved in creating a national dementia strategy. Other countries that have done so put the development of community-based dementia advisers and peer support networks at the core of their response to this growing challenge.”
“With this event, WISH and its partners are doing their part to address the two dominant narratives around dementia: First is the sense of pessimism that the increase in dementia sufferers is an insoluble problem. The second narrative is a more practical one and communicates that together we can work out a way of living with the prevalence of this condition, as a community. Events such as this one enable people to get together, learn from one other, and offer support to one another,” he added.