The biggest challenge leading to the launch of the dementia strategy in January is finding enough people who are trained and specialised in the condition, according to the man who penned the document.

Malta is the 16th country to come up with its own strategy to tackle the most medically-expensive condition that costs the world as much as cancer and heart treatment put together. However, the strategy cannot be implemented if not enough trained people are found.

“The largest challenge we’re facing is that we do not have enough trained people within this particular sector, so we have started training professionals and carers. However, building a critical mass to be able to implement services takes time and training costs money,” researcher and senior lecturer Charles Scerri said.

Plans are in the offing to start a post-graduate course on the elderly and dementia at the University of Malta.

“At the moment, we train on the medical model and we don’t have time left to tackle the impact dementia has on society. Dementia is a medical challenge but also a societal one,” Dr Scerri said.

If dementia was a country, it would be the 18th largest economy in the world. It is equivalent to one per cent of the world’s GDP: 604 billion are spent on it every year worldwide, with Malta’s bill ranging between €60 and €90 million.

So while the strategy document is being given its final touches, day centre managers are being trained to be able to detect symptoms and a course is being planned for nursing professionals at the activity centre at St Vincent de Paul home for the elderly and Gozo General Hospital.

A draft of the national dementia strategy had already been presented in 2010 but it was revised last year and then opened for public consultation earlier this year. The feedback included the suggestion of tagging people just in case they went outdoors and could not find their way back. However, Dr Scerri, who is also the national focal point on dementia, did not include it in his strategy document, as he believes it needs a wide consultation because tagging somebody without their consent had implications on their dignity.

Called ‘Empowering Change’, the 107-page document is being translated into Maltese. A dementia-friendly version will also be published. Among its 82 recommendations to be implemented over nine years, it suggests financial aid for assistive technology like an alarm reminding people with dementia to take their medicine.

It also focuses on raising awareness to diagnose dementia earlier and proposes a dementia intervention team where social workers and psychologists visit people diagnosed with dementia at their home.

The activity centre at St Vincent de Paul will not remain the only one of its sort and another one is being planned for the north of the island. Ultimately, there should be a centre for people with dementia in all four corners of Malta and one in Gozo.

The strategy also moves away from people with dementia and focuses on the main carers of people with the condition, who usually remain living within the community.

“For every person with dementia, there are three or four people who are directly affected. The constant caring affects them mentally; some suffer from guilt feelings, anxiety or depression.

“Dementia – a condition which is managed but not cured – scars relatives for the rest of their lives and the strategy recommends psychological support for carers,” Dr Scerri said.

More than seven per cent of the population over 75 years of age will have dementia and once people turn 95, they have a 50 per cent chance they will develop the condition. At the moment, there are 6,000 people with dementia and this will increase to 13,000 by 2050.

People can call the dementia helpline on 2208 1826 or contact the Parliamentary Secretariat for Health to request information material.

Reducing the risks

• Remain socially active like voluntary work or club membership.

• Don’t drink more than one unit of alcohol a day.

• Exercise regularly for more efficient blood circulation.

• Eat less fatty food and more fibre.

Caring for sufferers

• Respect their dignity and privacy.

• Ask direct questions requiring yes/no answers.

• Leaf through photo albums and speak about past events.

• Natural light helps the sleep cycle.

• Use non-slip carpets and avoid gas burners.