Mai Mbambande Foundation, a non-profit-making organisation that looks into the welfare of the elderly in Lilongwe, has underscored the need to raise awareness of various diseases such as dementia that affect the elderly.
The foundation’s founder and director Deborah Mbale said this on Monday during a dementia and elderly care awareness campaign in Dzama Village in Traditional Authority Chitukula in Lilongwe.
She said oftentimes, members of the community mistaken dementia, which attacks the elderly, for witchcraft.
Said Mbale: “Many are the times elderly people are accused of witchcraft and being discriminated against or neglected in our communities because people don’t know about diseases such as dementia which attack the elderly.”
Dementia is a loss of cognitive functioning, thinking, memory and Hansen (L) and her colleague after handing over the equipment. | Rose Chipumphula reasoning to such an extent that it interferes with a person’s daily life and activities.
On his part, village head Dzama said the meeting was an eye opener, adding that most members of his community did not know about the disease.
“This meeting is key because it has helped to enlighten us on a number of issues that affect the elderly persons, but are overlooked.
“For example, the issue of dementia has surprised many people because once they see an elderly person behaving in such a manner as explained here, they are accused of witchcraft,” he said.
During the meeting, elderly persons from the foundation donated soap and other relief items to members of the community.
The foundation is a home for over 70 elderly persons. The centre provides meals for the elderly, among other services.
