Worldwide Cost Estimate for Alzheimer's and Dementia Is US$315...(( http://www.alz.co.u The 10/66 De...),Health

The 10/66 Dementia Research Group has completed cross-sectional surveys of 1,500 to 3,000 people over 65 years old in each of nine low and middle income countries (China, India, Nigeria, Cuba, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Mexico, and Peru), with three other studies still in process (Argentina, Puerto Rico and South Africa), for a total of more than 20,000 people. The 10/66 Dementia diagnosis* shows that the true prevalence of dementia may be much higher than previously estimated, particularly in the least developed regions.

* Pilot studies conducted by the 10/66 Group in 26 centers in Latin America, Africa, India, Russia and China demonstrated the feasibility and validity of a simple, one stage dementia diagnosis for use in population-based research, known as the "10/66 Dementia diagnosis."

"Dementia is overwhelmingly the most important contributor to needs for care and caregiver strain in all the locations we studied," Prince says. "Caregivers often cut back on work to care. There is a lack of awareness, health services are unresponsive, and many families do not seek, let alone receive, help."

The 10/66 Group has developed a low-level, brief caregiver education and training intervention, know as "Helping Carers to Care," which is now being evaluated in randomized trials in Russia, India, China and four Latin American centers. Prince will present encouraging early findings at the ADI conference.

"Earlier studies may have underestimated the prevalence of dementia in regions with low awareness of this emerging public health problem," Prince says. "Primary healthcare services and governments have failed to respond to families' complex needs for long-term support. Attention nee
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