Oluwatobi Adu 
ABUJA, Nigeria – African families are bearing a growing burden of dementia care, with unpaid caregivers spending an average of 12.9 hours a day caring for relatives with the condition, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
WHO said about 1.9 million people are currently living with dementia in its African Region, with unpaid caregivers, most of them women and family members, providing much of the care.
The organisation disclosed the figures in a report released on Wednesday during the Regional Intercountry Workshop on Dementia in Nairobi, Kenya, held from September 14 to 16.
The economic cost of dementia in the African Region is estimated at $15.6 billion annually, according to WHO.
“Dementia is a public health priority for Africa. As the number of people affected continues to grow, countries need guidance, tools and data to act,” said Dr Benido Impouma, Director of the Health Promotion, Disease Prevention and Control Cluster at the WHO Regional Office for Africa.
“This workshop is an important step towards building capacity in the Region for dementia prevention, care and support and reinforcing the collective response,” he added.
Dr Catherine Wanjiku Waweru, Focal Person for Intersectoral Global Action Plan on Epilepsy and Other Neurological Disorders at Kenya’s Ministry of Health, said the workshop needed to result in concrete action.
“This workshop must translate into concrete action at the country level,” Waweru said.
“Our priority is to ensure that dementia is recognized early, that people can access quality care and support, and that families are not left to face it alone,” she added.
The dementia care burden in Africa therefore extends beyond people living with the condition to families and informal caregivers who provide long hours of unpaid care.
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Mirian Gom 
