Minister for Health and Social Development Honourable Vincent O. Wheatley is urging all stakeholders in the Virgin Islands to continue raising awareness for members of the community who suffer from Alzheimer's disease and other dementia.

The Health Minister made the declaration during his message for World Alzheimer’s Month which is observed annually in September. The theme for this year’s observance is “Never too early, never too late”.

This year’s campaign hopes to underscore the pivotal role of identifying risk factors and adopting proactive risk reduction measures to delay, and potentially prevent the onset of dementia.

Honourable Wheatley said, “Currently, there is a paradigm shift worldwide regarding the perception of Alzheimer's disease and doctors and patients are beginning to understand that Alzheimer's disease and other dementias can start many years before symptoms start to become apparent.”

The minister noted that the global number of people living with dementia is expected to triple by 2050 and therefore, there is a greater need for urgent understanding and response to the risk factors associated with the condition.

Through information from the National Health Insurance database, 188 people in the Virgin Islands have been officially diagnosed with dementia. However, in keeping with data from Alzheimer’s  Disease International which states roughly 75% of all dementia cases go undiagnosed; Honourable Wheatley said it can be estimated that the number of individuals living with dementia is above 300.

The Health Minister further explained that with no known cure for Alzheimer’s disease, the Virgin Islands community must examine personal risk factors and find different strategies to mitigate the risk of developing Alzheimer’s.

“New research from The Lancet Commission, a medical journal, indicated that twelve main risk factors over our lifetime can cause dementia and modifying these risks could prevent or delay up to forty per cent of dementia cases. However, it takes advocacy, partnership and the collaboration of public, private and Non-Governmental Agencies to tackle this disease and educate our community,” Honourable Wheatley said.

The Ministry of Health and Social Development through its Aged Care Services continue to provide services that can be accessed by people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. These programmes include supervised senior programmes that promote the socialiSation of senior citizens with their peers; and home care services for elderly persons where the Social Development Department provides the highest quality services and care in the client's residence. These programmes augment the care and service provided by our local hospitals, community-based clinics and other healthcare facilities.

The Ministry of Health and Social Development remains committed to improving the health and well-being of the people of the Virgin Islands.