NAIDCARE Offers Free Medical Outreach To Alzheimer’s Patients In Abuja

On Sep 27, 2024

By Tanimu Hassan, Abuja

A Non-Governmental Organization NAIDCARE has carried out a free medical outreach in Abuja the nation’s capital to consult, diagnose, and provide measures to prevent the growth of Alzheimer’s Disease among the elderly people in Nigeria in collaboration with the Coalition of Societies for the Rights of Older Persons in Nigeria and Primary Healthcare Development Agency among other stakeholders.

Alzheimer’s is a disease that destroys memory and other important mental functions of human beings and eventually destroys other important mental functions.

In this regard, the Chief Executive Officer of NAIDCARE, Mr Foluso Junaid, said many Nigerians suffer from the disease without knowing the causes and medication, especially people in rural areas.

“I think is important for the government and other stakeholders in the healthcare system to come together and create awareness to educate the elderly people who are the victims of Alzheimer”

Similarly, the Head of the Naidcare Abuja branch, Mr James Utodio, expressed the commitment of the health service provider to ensuring that people with Alzheimer’s are properly taken care of by providing them with free diagnosis and consultation.

We are hoping to extend our humanitarian services to other parts of the country, looking at how Alzheimer’s disease is increasing in the country.

While responding, the Acting Director for Community Health Services National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr Nana Abunakar Sandra, said the agency with the support of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, has put measures to ensure that elderly people are given the right attention to prevent them of the disease.

“NPHCDA is looking to integrate the intervention for care of the elderly health into service delivery at both the health facility and the community; for the community level intervention, the community health workforce is redesigned, and a module on elderly care is introduced to ensure that care for the elderly in our community.

“The focus will be on providing health education to create awareness to reduce stigma and provide support to the caregivers of the elderly, and we also need to ensure that they are well taken care of and their needs are addressed.”

One of the organizers and the President of the Coalition of Societies for the Right of Order Persons in Nigeria Senator Eze Ajoku called on the government to support families with Alzheimer’s disease and to create awareness, especially in the rural areas he or she can able to recognize

“Alzheimer’s is a sickness that affects mainly older persons and it can render the life of an older person useless because they lost their memories, he or she can’t be able to remember things.”

“The affected person can step out and he or she cannot recognize the direction of its house again, so it’s something that Nigerians need to know, that is what we are creating awareness about for people to know how to manage it”.

It’s estimated that over 1.5 million elderly Nigerians are suffering from Alzheimer’s disease with the possibility of increasing if the necessary measures are not put in place by government and non-government organizations in Nigeria.