Around 110,000 Taiwanese suffer from Alzheimer's disease and other degenerative disorders, according to a survey released by the Taiwan Alzheimer's Disease Association yesterday.
The survey showed that 5.26 percent of people aged 65 or over suffer from a degenerative disorder. Each year, another 5,800 people develop degenerative disorders, and at this rate it is expected that by 2025 the number of sufferers will double to 220,000.
Chiu Ming-zhang (
"As well as affecting the quality of life of Alzheimer's patients, this also places a tremendous burden on their families," Chiu said yesterday at a forum held to discuss diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's and other memory disorders ahead of World Alzheimer's day on Wednesday next week.
Diagnosis is key to improving the quality of life of Alzheimer's patients, said Tang Li-yu (
"Through treatment, the rate of their deterioration can be slowed down and they can enjoy a better quality of life," said Tang, who encouraged families of Alzheimer's patients to join support groups, and for Alzheimer's patients to participate in activities which stimulate brain functions, such as playing mahjong or singing karaoke.
Chiu cited studies which show that the amount of education one receives or the amount of time one devotes to educational practices over a lifetime is inversely related to the likelihood of the onset of Alzheimer's disease.
Chiu said that by devoting time to study, neural connections are established which can act as substitutes in the event of memory loss when other neural pathways cease functioning.
In this regard, Tang cited a slogan from an Alzheimer's association in Australia: "Use it or lose it!"
When asked about possible preventative measures, Chiu said that although nothing lessens the risk that increases with age, there are measures that can be taken to lessen the likelihood of specific types of memory loss related to blood vessel functions.
This type of memory loss is caused by the hardening of blood vessels, which is in turn related to high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and smoking, Chiu said.
If these potential health difficulties are kept under control while one is still young, then the "chances of being picked in the lotto," as Chiu put it, drop significantly.
Taiwan has been a member of Alzheimer's Disease International since last year. This year, nine of Taiwan's cities and counties will participate in World Alzheimer's Day events on Sept. 17.
In Taipei, events will be held in the Da-an Forest Park, including a walking activity led by Department of Health officials, musical performances by Alzheimer's patients and their families and free health checks.
RSS