Association To Be Launched Today.
SAINT Lucians are being urged to pay closer attention to persons with dementia as the country tries to deal with the 1300 cases of registered Alzheimer’s patients.
“That number is just the reported cases,” said Regina Posvar, President of the St. Lucia Alzheimer’s Association, which will be launched today.
All of the reported cases are people above the age of 60.
How St. Lucia is coping with this medical condition is not clear cut, hence the reason why Posvar is on a mission to educate the country about the disease which starts slowly, with people not remembering recent events. This is described as short-term memory loss and is said to be the most common early symptom of the disease.
Posvar’s association is looking to educate the country so as to prevent citizens from getting the disease. The association is also helping people deal with Alzheimer’s patients.
“We are offering classes to families of persons struggling with their memory,” Posvar said.
She is concerned that there may be more cases of Alzheimer’s in the country other than those on record. She believes that there may well be unreported cases where people are suffering with dementia, which can cause long-term and often gradual decrease in the ability to think and remember.
It is said that 60% to 70% of cases of dementia result in Alzheimer’s.
The St. Lucia Alzheimer’s Association was registered in May this year and is partnered with another group, “Angels of the West Indies”, which was created in 2013.
Posvar said that Angels of the West Indies had worked tirelessly to spread advocacy about this incurable disease by providing and training caregivers, hosting Memory Care workshops and supporting the general public through a weekly informative column in The VOICE entitled “If I Can Only Remember”.
According to her, the Saint Lucia Alzheimer’s Association will be the driving force to bring brain health to the public.
“The month of September is recognized as World Alzheimer’s Month. In this regard, we will be hosting a formal launching of the Saint Lucia Alzheimer’s Association on September 1 at the Saint Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association in Rodney Heights, Gros Islet.
The purpose of this launching is to introduce persons to the organization and to outline its goals and objectives. It will also be an opportunity to allow those suffering from or affected by Alzheimer’s, an opportunity to voice their experiences. Also, in acknowledgement of World Alzheimer’s Day on September 21, we will also be hosting a Memory Café Fundraiser for survivors on that day,” Posvar said.
She added that the Association’s vision is for St. Lucians to have optimal brain health and all their human rights fully acknowledged. Further, that people challenged with dementia or Alzheimer’s as well as their family members, be included in all activities in a dementia friendly Saint Lucia, free from discrimination and with an adequate standard of living.
This is one example how only foreigners can do something good in St. Lucia.
The locals, mentally retarded as they are, cannot do anything.
Oh, yeah, the locals have dementia.