Locals taught about Alzheimer and Dementia
It is important for the community to be educated about Alzheimer and dementia disease so as to reduce myths and misconception others have about the illness.
Social Auxiliary Worker, Pricilla Mdluli recently conducted an Alzheimer’s and Dementia awareness health session for local senior citizens and health care givers in Zola.
During the educational session, Mdluli indicated that Alzheimer’s and Dementia are degenerative illnesses that progressively impair memory and other critical mental abilities.
Memory and other critical mental processes gradually disappear as a result of degeneration and death of brain cell connection.
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According to Mdluli it is important for the community to be educated about Alzheimer’s and Dementia so as to reduce myths and misconception others have about the illnesses.
“People who suffer from Alzheimer’s or Dementia are not practicing witchcraft. So that’s why I’m emphasising that the public should allow themselves to learn more about this disease so that they can know how to take care of a diseased person,” said Mdluli.
Some of the early signs that Mdluli brought up throughout the session include forgetting about recent conversations or events, misplacing of items, forgetting the names of places and objects and asking questions repetitively.
Some of the attendees spoke freely about their experiences and others asked questions to learn more about this sickness.
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“Today’s session was very important, especially to us elderlies who have experienced or seen such situation.
“I’m glad that we have been educate about this disease, we now know which ways to go about when someone is suffering from Alzheimer ‘s without making one feel uncomfortable,” said one of the grannies who attended the health care session, Margrate Mdluli.
