Elderly and Dementia in Nepal
10.11197/jaih.29.59
- VernacularTitle:ネパールにおける高齢者と認知症
- Author:
Chifumi Iseki
;
Luna Kimihira
;
Makiko Habazaki
;
Yoshimi Takahashi
;
Basant Pant
;
Takeo Kato
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
South Asia;
Developing country;
Cognitive function;
Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR)
- From:Journal of International Health
2014;29(2):59-67
- CountryJapan
- Language:Japanese
-
Abstract:
Background
Dementia is defined as a decline in cognition or behavior in one or more of the following areas: memory, social-interpersonal behaviors etc. It is regarded differently depending on the society of each country. To compare the effect that it has on Japanese society, we started research in Nepal.
Methods
We asked Medical doctors and nurses in remote areas and the capital city in Nepal about their awareness of dementia. We also examined the elderly in communities and hospitals, using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Hasegawa Dementia Scale Revised (HDS-R), and asked family members about the elderly’s daily life and checked Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR).
Results
Three out of six medical staff members in remote areas did not know the word “dementia.” However, most medical staff had seen cases of suspected dementia. The averages and deviations of MMSE and HDS-R in 6 elderly in community were 16±4.2 and 17±5.0, respectively. The average of CDR was 0.9.
Conclusions
There was a lack of awareness about dementia in remote areas. Nepali society was found to be tolerant of aging and dementia.
