Background
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that low‐and‐middle‐income countries (LMICs) develop national plans to formulate public health policies in response to dementia Across ...Africa, no country has developed a national dementia strategy to date. Although Kenya is in the process of developing a national dementia plan, much work remains to develop care pathways that meet the diverse needs of persons with dementia across the Kenyan population. In a study on perceptions and experiences of dementia and its care in rural Kenya, family caregivers reported negative experiences of disclosure of a diagnosis of dementia. They also reported limited and insufficient provision of information on dementia. The WHO Global dementia action plan has set the target of 75% of countries providing support and training programmes for carers and families of people with dementia by 2025.
Method
Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland (ASI) family caregiver training was developed to help caregivers respond to the needs of people with dementia more confidently by developing their caring skills. Though set for a population in Ireland, there are many similar challenges that caregivers in both Kenya and Ireland share. To avoid reinventing the wheel, we adopted the ASI caregiver training programme to be used in Kenya. We conducted a baseline survey to understand the needs of caregivers in Kenya before beginning course adaptation and training. . Due to COVID‐19, the training couldn’t be conducted in person and we conducted the training online with two goals:
• To provide quality online education to family caregivers to provide person centred care.
• To create peer support for caregivers.
We adopted and piloted 6 modules of the training. We used WhatsApp and Zoom to facilitate learning for caregivers, employing micro‐learning between weekly sessions.
Result
I will present the lessons learnt from culturally adapting a course for family caregivers in Kenya and providing online training for caregivers in Kenya.
Conclusion
There is an urgent need for more funding in LMICs to grow programs that provide support for caregivers and people with dementia.
Programs to build capacity for more people who provide training on dementia are essential to grow awareness and understanding.
Abstract Two of every three persons living with dementia reside in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs). The projected increase in global dementia rates is expected to affect LMICs ...disproportionately. However, the majority of global dementia care costs occur in high‐income countries (HICs), with dementia research predominantly focusing on HICs. This imbalance necessitates LMIC‐focused research to ensure that characterization of dementia accurately reflects the involvement and specificities of diverse populations. Development of effective preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic approaches for dementia in LMICs requires targeted, personalized, and harmonized efforts. Our article represents timely discussions at the 2022 Symposium on Dementia and Brain Aging in LMICs that identified the foremost opportunities to advance dementia research, differential diagnosis, use of neuropsychometric tools, awareness, and treatment options. We highlight key topics discussed at the meeting and provide future recommendations to foster a more equitable landscape for dementia prevention, diagnosis, care, policy, and management in LMICs. Highlights Two‐thirds of persons with dementia live in LMICs, yet research and costs are skewed toward HICs. LMICs expect dementia prevalence to more than double, accompanied by socioeconomic disparities. The 2022 Symposium on Dementia in LMICs addressed advances in research, diagnosis, prevention, and policy. The Nairobi Declaration urges global action to enhance dementia outcomes in LMICs.
