Up to 4,000 Maltese may have dementia

As many as 4,000 Maltese people are estimated to suffer from dementia, but the condition is still surrounded by stigma.

Malta Dementia Society general secretary Charles Scerri said the condition usually affects almost half the people over the age of 85. It usually starts manifesting itself when a person is around 65 years old, and around three per cent of people that age are thought to suffer from it.

Dr Scerri said there has never been an advanced study to establish how many people suffer from dementia in Malta. However, percentages from other countries with similar characteristics to Malta indicate that around one per cent of the local population could be suffering from the condition.

In a bid to raise awareness, the Malta Dementia Society yesterday set up a stand in Freedom Square, Valletta, where they gave information to passers-by. Later, they organised the first local memory walk on the occasion of World Alzheimer's Day which was marked around the globe on Wednesday. Dr Scerri said unfortunately there does not seem to be enough awareness about the condition in Malta.

Dementia is a progressive disease that affects the sufferer's memory, language and reasoning.

"They end up devoid of all cognitive skills," he explained, adding that sometimes dementia sufferers end up not even recognising their own family members.

Although there are more than 100 different types of dementia, the most common is the Alzheimer's type, which affects around 60 per cent of all dementia sufferers.

Dr Scerri said that apart from the effect on the sufferer, dementia also takes its toll on the carers. This is especially a problem in Malta since the elderly tend to live in the family more than in other countries.

Moreover, he added, there was a lot of stigma surrounding the condition since it was associated with the brain, which prevents many people from looking for help.

"The earlier the condition is diagnosed, the higher the possibility of helping the patients," he said.

Dr Scerri said that although there is no cure for dementia, there are a number of medicines which address the symptoms. However, these do not work on everybody. There did not appear to be a solution to the problem in the foreseeable future, despite billions being spent on research.

Dr Scerri and society chairman Stephen Abela said they would like to see a day care centre specifically for dementia sufferers being set up in Malta.

Dr Abela said this should offer a safe environment for sufferers and would offer some respite for the carers.