THE Alzheimer’s association in Paphos is appealing for volunteers and fundraisers as the number of new patients being diagnosed with the disease is increasing daily.
President of the Paphos branch of the Cyprus Alzheimer’s association Chrystalla Themistokleous, also the assistant matron of Paphos general hospital, told the Sunday Mail that although some steps have been made by the state, far more needs to be done to meet the urgent needs of patients and their families.
“As is the case all over the world, numbers of patients presenting with dementia and Alzheimer’s in Paphos is increasing and there is an urgent need to establish more care and support. There are more and more every day,” she said.
Dementia is a wider term for a decline in mental ability which interferes with normal daily life and includes memory loss. Alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia, accounting for around 70 per cent of cases. Many dementias are progressive and can present a very difficult decline for the sufferer and the carer.
Alzheimer’s causes problems with memory, thinking and behaviour. Symptoms usually develop slowly and worsen over time, becoming severe enough to interfere with daily tasks.
Cyprus doesn’t currently have a nursing home or full-time care centre for Alzheimer’s and dementia sufferers. Nicosia has a daycare centre which is privately run and there is another facility in Lythrodontas, open three days a week.
The charity head said that although government allowances are given to Alzheimer’s patients’ families (they must meet certain criteria) is a huge step forward, establishing a residential home in Paphos specifically for Alzheimer care is imperative.
“Through the EU, Alzheimer patients that have been diagnosed can be assessed by the relevant doctors and may receive an amount of money to assist them.”
However, she stressed that there is an urgent need for a facility in Paphos where people may go, particularly those who have no-one to look after them. “Many of these people are from the UK and they have no-one to help,” she said.
“It is important to keep Alzheimer sufferers active and mixing with others. They are still able to have a quality of life and loneliness and depression may act as a trigger,” she said.
The Paphos branch of the Alzheimer’s Association has established a once weekly day centre for people living with dementia and their carers. Participants meet on Monday morning from 10am to 12.30 pm at the Archangel Michael Hospice in Mesa Chorio, Paphos.
The centre offers gentle exercise, music and dance sessions, physio and interaction with others. To attend the weekly meetings, a patient must have already received a diagnosis that they are suffering from some form of dementia, as the meeting specifically caters to this group.
“We have around 20 participants and they do all sorts of activities. It feels like home to them, they laugh and sing together, is wonderful,” she said.
The initiative is run by five staff and a nurse, all of whom are volunteers, Themistokleous said, and the group is very successful. “They need to experience joy and to feel alive”, she said.
The Alzheimer’s Association also has an assistant nurse who provides free homecare nursing and advice to carers and the group also provides equipment.
“The charity provides home care nursing six days a week and the nurse will feed, bath, aid in walking and so on. We are currently looking after five bed-ridden patients,” she said.
To utilise the charity’s facilities and services, patients must be registered with them.
Rionagh Walker of the Alzheimer’s Self Help Group, Paphos, which is affiliated with the Paphos branch of the Cyprus Alzheimer’s Association, said that they also continue to provide support through the self-help group that meets on the first Wednesday of every month.
“It is important to support not only the Alzheimer patients but also their carers who are usually family, as their lives are so massively affected. Their reality changes completely and there are huge changes in the relationship they once had with, often, a husband or wife,” she said.
Friends can fall away, unable to cope with the changes they witness and carers can begin to feel isolated, it’s very important to ensure that they have support, she said.
“Depending on the progression of the disease, they can be looking after a loved one for 5,8,10 and more years.”
The monthly meetings provide a safe and caring environment where people can air concerns and share experiences. Advice is given about how the hospital system works, who to see, medication and so on. “People form friendships and they are with others who understand what it’s like to be on this particular journey,” she said.
Themistokleous said there are hopes to establish a further afternoon session once a week and transport to help patients to attend. “We need volunteers to help us with this and would love people to get in touch with us,” she said.
Walker agreed that although more needs to be done in this sector, it is important to highlight the support that is available in the community.
“We have become aware of the need to raise awareness of the support which is now available more widely amongst the Paphos community. There may be people living with dementia who do not know that they can access this support,” she said.
Contact: President of the Paphos Alzheimer’s Association Chrystalla Themistokleous 99 430187, Alzheimer’s Self Help Group Rionagh Walker 97 839247
