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by pltm
(PLTM) - In light of a recent incident, where Walter Todman, an elderly Alzheimer's patient went missing, and still remains missing one week later, renewed attention is being placed on the disease.
On Friday afternoon, President of the Virgin Islands Alzheimer's Association, Ryan Geluk told BVI Platinum News that considerations are being made to provide tracking devices for patients who suffer from Alzheimer's, which is a disease of the brain that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior.
He was at the time speaking on the sidelines of a walk held in Road Town, in observation of Alzheimer's Month.
According to Mr. Geluk, wandering off is common in patients suffering from the disease, and as such, “We are looking at things like electronic bracelets so that we can monitor them. So that family members can have some comfort that if they do wander off, they have a mechanism to track them easily, and more so, that we don't have a situation like this ever again.”
He advised that in dealing with an Alzheimer's patient, much patience and precaution need to be observed, as “it is an extremely delicate thing. You have to be very attentive at all times, because with the Dementia they have a tendency to get disoriented, especially at night.”
He revealed that, “The risk of them wandering off heightens at night because the darkness really disorients them, they can't really recognise their surrounding and where they are, so it’s quite common to have a person with Alzheimer's to go wandering off.”
Barriers
Meanwhile, even as the threat of the disease increases with someone developing it every three seconds worldwide, here in the BVI the challenge of stigmatisation remains.
Director of the Assocition, Ms. Edna Williams in addressing participants of the walk said, “For us here in the BVI, the barriers have been stigma. Many family members don't want the public to know that their family member, their friend, have such an illness. Denial…we’re in denial about the fact that this is happening; it's happening more and more frequently and with the younger population.”
Williams shared that in the BVI, persons as young as 50 are living with the disease.
“We used to think that Dementia and Alzheimer's is something for old folks, but it is not. There are people here in the BVI in their 50’s and early 60’s who have been diagnosed with Dementia,” she stated.
With the illness being the seventh leading cause of death internationally, and its development into a trillion dollar business, the Director stressed, “That's why the Virgin Islands Alzheimer's Association is in existence, so that we can know about Alzheimer's, we can be aware, we can let the community know that this is a disease. Dementia is a disease of the brain that needs continual support. We need people to know about it.”
