Dementia: A disease of the ageing brain

… why home care may be the better option

By Jarryl Bryan

There are times when the symptoms are so subtle that loved ones are often caught unawares when an elderly person takes a turn for the worse. Other times, the incoherent ramblings and blatant memory loss are impossible to miss.
The response of many families to the unpredictability of dementia is to have the patient housed wherever professionals can handle their care. Some even opt for the Palms Geriatric home. But could care-givers bringing their expertise into the home, be a better way?
Abbigale Loncke, who was one of four Guyanese selected to take part in former US President Barack Obama’s 2016 Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI), is the Chief Executive Officer of Community Health Care.
While hosting a senior citizen health fair at the Courtyard Mall on Saturday in collaboration with the Public Health Ministry’s Mental Health Unit and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Loncke explained why home care was the better option.
“We are pushing for home care. Our theme is there is no care like home care and we are really pushing for folks to keep their loved ones at home,” Loncke explained. “We believe that, in terms of old people and their mental health, they do better when they are in an environment that they know.”
“I’ve been to the Palms a couple of times. And if your mom or dad grew up in their own environment, with the grandchildren around and you put them in the Palms, they are coming out of their comfort zone. (There is) no one there to visit them as much as they would like, no interaction with their grandchildren and loved ones. That’s a new environment,” Loncke told Guyana Times.
She described instances where the elderly would go into geriatric homes full of life, but, within a year, they would have changed personalities, becoming reticent and uncommunicative and eventually passing away in the care of the institution.
Loncke noted that unlike younger individuals who can move from place to place and adjust themselves to the changes, older people can actually worsen if taken out of their familiar comfort zone. Hence, she urged that persons looking into their options to explore one of the several home care support services available.
“There is support out there. There are people like us who are doing this type of service. And we created our packages in such a way that we work with the clients and your budget. We have a non-profit part where persons would volunteer their time.”
According to Loncke, these volunteers would take their expertise into the nursing homes and other locations. She also noted that the health fair and the collaboration with the other entities at the Courtyard Mall would be the first of many.

Mental Health Unit
The Mental Health Unit of the Public Health Ministry, located in Quamina Street, Georgetown, is the recognised authority treating and counselling patients suffering from dementia-related disorders. Representatives of the Unit, which had a presence at the health fair, gave some insight into the medical condition.
Evelyn Ganesh, a member of the Unit, related that while there is much focus on depression; dementia can actually lead to depression in an individual. She urged that relatives and caregivers of dementia patients take time to become acquainted with the condition.
A Mental Health Officer, Malinda Blaise, who was also at the fair, explained that dementia was part of the ageing process occasioned by ageing or damage to the brain tissue owing to chronic illness. But she noted that a factor which can help in preventing the disorder was a strengthened mind through cognitive exercises.
“What you’re seeing a lot in Guyana, for instance, is the issue of depression. Depression can be a (result). So those are some of the things you may want to consider. (One) of the signs you may see is forgetfulness.”
While Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, it is not the only one.