4,000 suffer from dementia

It is estimated that out of an elderly population in Malta of 52,128, a good 4,000 suffer from dementia and the number of people suffering from the condition will be nearly doubled within 20 years as worldwide progress in the health sector increases longevity.

A 90-year-old person has a 33 per cent chance of developing the condition.

These figures emerged during a number of training courses organised by the Ministry for Social Policy and the Secretariat for the Elderly and Community Care for persons interested in dementia care. The courses were a European Social Fund (ESF) project, and were part of the Structural Funds Programme for Malta 2004-2008 of the European Union. The project leader was Ray Xerri.

No cure has yet been found for this condition which keeps getting worse until the patient's last minutes.

Anyone interested in becoming more acquainted with the condition may get further information online by accessing the website ww.dementia.stir.ac.uk.

Comments

Joseph Schembri (on 7/9/08)

I don't want to show any disrespect to these persons, in fact my grandmother suffered from the same condition. But what I find strange is that these persons are allowed to vote while many people want to deny the same right to 16 year olds!