‘Dementia care policy’ pushed in House

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MANILA, Philippines — A lawmaker wants dementia, common among the elderly and the fifth leading cause of death worldwide, recognized as a national public health priority.

In filing House Bill No. 9949, or the proposed Philippine Dementia Care Policy, United Senior Citizens Party-list Rep. Milagros Aquino-Magsaysay stressed that dementia together with Alzheimer’s disease was “not simple senility in aging persons” and could affect younger people in their 30s, 40s or 50s.

The lawmaker pointed out that dementia is “characterized by the loss of cognitive functioning in terms of thinking, remembering and reasoning, to such an extent that it interferes with a person’s daily life and activities.”

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She noted that dementia ranges in severity from the mildest to the most severe stage, where the afflicted person must depend entirely on others for the basic activities of eating and cleaning one’s self.

“Sadly, it is incurable and is a major cause of disability and dependency affecting individuals, families, and communities,” Magsaysay pointed out.

Challenges

She cited 2015 data from the Alzheimer’s Disease Association of the Philippines, which placed the local prevalence of dementia in the Philippines at 10.6 percent, which equated to 726,864 persons living with dementia. “This is almost twice the crude estimated prevalence of 5.8 percent in Southeast Asia,” she noted.

“While there are existing pre-planned strategies on dementia prevention and treatment, long-term and sustained home-based care for patients is still quite limited considering the Philippines is a developing country challenged by inadequate government funding and resources,” the lawmaker lamented.

According to Magsaysay, “The bill, if enacted into law, will serve as the enabling law for the informal policies and current practices governing dementia and Alzheimer’s care in the country at present. An enacted law shall formalize and institutionalize policies and practices and even spur relevant training and education on dementia.”

The draft measure would tap the Philippine Council for Mental Health, which is under the Department of Health, to create a Dementia Care Consultative Committee, made up of representatives of different mental wellness groups, hospitals, and institutions, to help develop policies.

HB 9949 also sets aside P250 million as funding for implementing the measure.

The bill would further recognize Sept. 21 of every year as World’s Alzheimer’s Day to promote dementia awareness.