Abstract
BACKGROUND: Dementia, a chronic degenerative disease, changes the behaviour and ability of the person to perform everyday activities. This leads physical, social and psychological impact not only towards the patient, but also their careers. The quality of life (QoL) and improving QoL of family carers for people living with dementia (PLwD) has been an area of concern in the recent years. Thus, the aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of dementia in Malaysia and identify the factors associated with better QoL for carers of PLwD. METHODS: in this nationwide survey. A total of 3,774 individuals aged 60 years and above were selected in this nationwide survey. A stratified cluster sampling method was used with face to face interviews with the selected older persons. Screening for dementia was done using Identification and Intervention for Dementia in Elderly Africans (IDEA) Cognitive Screen. Control, Autonomy, Self-Realization and Pleasure (CASP-19) questionnaire was used to determine the QoL of the carers. All analysis was carried out using SPSS Ver 23.0, taking into account the complex study design and weights. RESULTS: The prevalence of dementia in Malaysia was 8.5% among older adults aged 60 years and above. The prevalence was higher in rural, among females and those with no formal education. The family carers of PLwD had a significantly lower mean QoL than those carers of older adults without dementia (p<0.001). Linear regression among carers of PLwD showed that inability of the PLwD to carry out activities of daily living (p=0.018) and low to fair social support for the carers (p=0.003) were negatively associated with QoL of the carers. CONCLUSION: There is an urgent need for affirmative action and a comprehensive national strategic plan for dementia in Malaysia. Reducing the physical burden of taking care of the PLwD and increasing social support for the carers is essential to improve the QoL of carers of PLwD in Malaysia. This can only be achieved through increasing awareness and improving community participation as a whole to support PLwD and their careers.
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@proceedings{APCPH-2019-6,
title = {Dementia in Malaysia and Quality of Life of Carers of People Living with Dementia (PLwD)},
author = {Shubash Shander Ganapathy and Noor Ani Ahmad and Rasidah Jamaluddin and Mohamad Aznuddin Abd Razak and Tan Maw Pin and Sherina Mohd Sidik and Suhaila Mohamad Zahir and Nurashikin Ibrahim},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-07-22},
urldate = {2019-07-22},
journal = {6th Asia-Pacific Conference on Public Health 2019 Proceedings},
issue = {6},
abstract = {BACKGROUND: Dementia, a chronic degenerative disease, changes the behaviour and ability of the person to perform everyday activities. This leads physical, social and psychological impact not only towards the patient, but also their careers. The quality of life (QoL) and improving QoL of family carers for people living with dementia (PLwD) has been an area of concern in the recent years. Thus, the aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of dementia in Malaysia and identify the factors associated with better QoL for carers of PLwD. METHODS: in this nationwide survey. A total of 3,774 individuals aged 60 years and above were selected in this nationwide survey. A stratified cluster sampling method was used with face to face interviews with the selected older persons. Screening for dementia was done using Identification and Intervention for Dementia in Elderly Africans (IDEA) Cognitive Screen. Control, Autonomy, Self-Realization and Pleasure (CASP-19) questionnaire was used to determine the QoL of the carers. All analysis was carried out using SPSS Ver 23.0, taking into account the complex study design and weights. RESULTS: The prevalence of dementia in Malaysia was 8.5% among older adults aged 60 years and above. The prevalence was higher in rural, among females and those with no formal education. The family carers of PLwD had a significantly lower mean QoL than those carers of older adults without dementia (p\<0.001). Linear regression among carers of PLwD showed that inability of the PLwD to carry out activities of daily living (p=0.018) and low to fair social support for the carers (p=0.003) were negatively associated with QoL of the carers. CONCLUSION: There is an urgent need for affirmative action and a comprehensive national strategic plan for dementia in Malaysia. Reducing the physical burden of taking care of the PLwD and increasing social support for the carers is essential to improve the QoL of carers of PLwD in Malaysia. This can only be achieved through increasing awareness and improving community participation as a whole to support PLwD and their careers.},
note = {Type: PLENARY AND SYMPOSIUM; Organisation: 1Institute for Public Health, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, 2Department of Medicine, University of Malaya, 3Department of Psychiatry, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 4Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Hospital Tuanku Jaafar, Ministry of Health Malaysia, 5Disease Control Division, Ministry of Health Malaysia},
keywords = {Carers of People Living with Dementia, Dementia, Malaysia, NHMS, Quality of Life},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {proceedings}
}