Good Morning the Honourable Chairperson and Honourable members of this committee.

Alzheimer’s SA (Western Cape) extends our appreciation at the opportunity to address the committee on the Older Persons Bill. I am Karen Borochowitz the Chairman of Alzheimer’s SA (Western Cape) and I am accompanied by my colleague Mrs Lindy Smit who is Vice Chairman of our region and also a social worker in private practice. We both are also national board members of Alzheimer’s SA.

We live in a generation where we are fascinated by age. Longevity, ways to improve our quality of life into old age and drugs to ensure vitality and vigour have flooded the market. Increasingly we are meeting and reading about more and more elderly who are living longer and longer. Today awareness of and access to better healthcare and health education have ensured that illnesses that previously caused an early death, are now treatable and in many cases preventable.

But sadly for many of our elderly, so many have not been so fortunate to determine the quality of their life. The challenge of growing old in a society and in a country where the question of ageing and the elderly is not always high on the agenda is a difficult and enormously challenging task.

Dementia is a progressive, degenerative brain syndrome that affects memory, thinking behaviour and emotion. Dementia knows no social, economic, ethnic or geographical boundaries and currently it is estimated that there are some 18 million people worldwide with dementia. By the year 2025 this figure is set to double to 34 million. Much of this increase will be in rapidly developing and heavily populated regions of the world – like Africa and Southern Africa.

As dementia progresses individuals affected need care with all aspects of daily life. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia and accounts for 50-60% of all cases along with vascular dementia. Other types of dementia include dementia with Lewy Bodies, Pick’s disease and HIV/Aids related dementia complex.

International studies make it clear that dementia occurs in every country of the world – and South Africa is no exception. Dementia affects 1 in 20 people over the age of 65 and 1 in 5 over the age of 80.

There is an urgent need in South Africa for well conducted epidemiological research to provide reliable and accurate data about the prevalence, impact and cost implications of dementia in our communities both in the rural and urban setting in order to better inform decision-making policy and to enable appropriate and accessible service development for our growing elderly population who are at risk of developing dementia.

Dementia, particularly in South Africa, is surrounded by stigma and myth and in some of our rural communities is associated with witchcraft. Many of the presenters yesterday mentioned this. Many people associate the early symptoms of dementia as a normal consequence of ageing and therefore do not come forward for help and support. Being aware of and recognizing the symptoms of dementia is the first step towards receiving a diagnosis. This can help to reduce the anxiety of people with dementia and their family and allow for education, counseling and support in understanding the progression of this cruel disease.

Research has shown that there are ways to reduce the stresses of caring :

• information and education empowers people and communities to understand what is happening to them and their loved one and how to cope better.
• Support groups provide an opportunity to share experiences and feelings
• Counseling has been shown to be effective in improving morale and decreasing feelings of stress
• Adequate respite care through proper facilities or through structures within communities are essential in order to give a break to carers
• Practical help in the home through home-based care provided by properly trained carers in dementia care, together with the necessary financial support to sustain this service are vital in the sustainability of care for those with dementia.

The growing number of elderly in South Africa and particularly the Western Cape is cause for concern. The lack of understanding of geriatric conditions, how they affect and impact the lives of our elderly, lack of geriatric clinics, referrals to the Memory Clinics needs urgent addressing. The Western Cape regional committee is honoured to have many specialists in the field of elder care as board members – one is, Dr Felix Potocnik a psychiatrist with a speciality in geriatric psychiatry and researcher in dementia as well as Dr Christianne Bouwens one of SA’s 6 geriatricians on our regional board – should this Portfolio Committee need any clarity on the medical, nursing, facility, social worker type or any other issues of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in relation to this Bill, we would be delighted to arrange this with this or any other team of professionals.

We can no longer stand by and watch as community’s age and struggle to care for their mentally frail without the proper support, care, skills nor adequate services in both quantity and quality to ensure human dignity for both sufferer and carer. This demands vision, dedication, action, unity and demands it NOW!

I have been a carer and watched helplessly as this cruel and insidious disease gripped and suffocated the wonderful woman I knew as my darling Mother. Each day I am reminded and humbled by the experiences of the countless carers, family members and sometimes sufferers who call our offices crying out for support, care, training and facilities …..

We need to warn our Government, Health and Social Service providers, medical aids, and corporate sectors of the grave consequences of ignoring Alzheimer’s disease and dementia and the pressures which will result due to the increased numbers of people with dementia.

The theme for this year’s 2005 World Alzheimer’s Day is "We can make a difference" …. To this end we have made available an information pack on this internationally celebrated and recognized day as well as some very general information about dementia and our organization.

This theme is a message of hope and a message of positiveness – by participating in this process of Submissions on the Older Persons Bill we have made the Voices of those who can no longer speak for themselves – heard. Our submission has been supported by forty letters from a range of professionals working in the field of the aged as well as heart rendering accounts of family members and carers.

Alzheimer’s South Africa nationally and the Western Cape region remains committed to the challenge - dispelling myths, speaking up and speaking out about dementia and we will continue to serve, educate, create awareness and provide support to those who need us.

Is it too much to ask that one day the needs and challenges facing the elderly in this country will receive the same degree of importance as those of HIV/AIDs considering the growing number of vulnerable elderly persons in South Africa? The growth and demand of our services, the need for information, awareness and desperate need for skills development needs urgent consultation, dialogue and planning with Government departments to ensure that we start addressing the needs of our aging communities and ensure that they are treated with humanity, dignity, love and support.

We look to policy makers, the private sector, and role players to partner us in continuing our work and together let us work hard, single mindedly and with renewed vigour and spirit to Make a Difference in the lives of families, carers and people suffering with dementia in South Africa.

Thank you!