The most recent plan to help early stage dementia patients is to train guide dogs. This involves training the animals with the patient and caregiver before symptoms become severe. In this way, the patient can continue with his daily routine.
A plan to help dementia sufferers
A group of students at the University of Glasgow were given a task: to look for ideas for products that could help people suffering from dementia. This project came from the hands of student Lucas McKinney, who thought of using the same system used for blind people: guide dogs. The idea was presented to Alzheimer Scotland and they immediately started working with various institutions such as Dogs for the Disabled and Guide Dogs Scotland.
The best friend
The plan began with the training of Oscar, a Golden Retriever from Scotland, and Kaspa, a Labrador from the United Kingdom. These dogs were trained for 18 months in a similar way to how guide dogs that help blind people are trained. They are intended to help people with early stage dementia.
They are trained to remind their owners to take medication, to accompany them shopping and to encourage them to get up in the morning. They have been taught to respond to alarms, carry bags of medicine and encourage their owners to read reminders. The first two dogs have now been with their owners for four months and have proved a complete success, so much so that two more dogs are already in training to be able to help dementia sufferers.
Ken and Glenys Will’s life has improved dramatically with the arrival of Kaspa. As well as the daily life of Frank Benham and his wife with dementia Maureen with the arrival of Oscar. You can watch the video by following this BBC Mundo link.
WHO data
A report published by the World Health Organization (WHO) together with the Alzheimer’s Disease organization states that dementia will double in two decades. Currently there are 35.6 million people in the world suffering from dementia and the number is increasing; in two decades the figure will reach 65.7 cases of dementia, according to the WHO. In other words, this organization estimates that by 2050 there will be 115 million people in the world with dementia. Given these high results, the organization warns that if the cases are not recognized and treated properly, the figures could be higher.