Tuesday, March 17, 2009

ADFM PJ

Tucked away in a quiet, older part of PJ town, is the Alzheimer's Disease Foundation Malaysia (ADFM). This bungalow is bright, airy, clean and well maintained. This is one of two branches, the other being the older branch, in Taman Seputeh.

For a small fee of RM30 per day (to cover food and misc expenses), the ADFM help alleviate the burden on families by becoming the "2nd family" to the folk with Alzheimer's Disease (AD). From 9am - 5pm, they come and join in the exercise, fun, games and mental stimulation to keep their minds going.. something extremely essential in slowing down the progression of AD.

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Alzheimer's Disease is the most common form of dementia. It is NOT a part of normal aging, but a disease involving the progressive loss of brain nerve cells. Since these nerve cells are essential for normal thought, memory and other brain functions, people with AD suffer a decline of mental functions which eventually interferes with the patient's normal daily activities.

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Over time, AD patients lose their ability to perform even the most basic activities of daily living like brushing one's teeth, putting on clothes, bathing, etc. In the end, the ability to walk and talk may be lost as well.
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Known as the disease of "The Long Goodbye", the illness often stretches over 10 and even 20 years. Despite intensive research in recent years, the disease is still not yet fully understood, and there is still no known cure.

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At present, 18m people worldwide have the disease. By 2020, 34m. In Malaysia, it is estimated that there are currently about 50,000 people with the disease. However, most of them are not diagnosed. This is because relatives think that the symptoms displayed are a normal part of growing old and thus do not seek medical advice on it.

ADFM is a non-profit organisation set up to promote awareness of Alzheimer's Disease in Malaysia, and to help dementia patients and their families living in Malaysia.

from the website :http://www.adfm.org.my/

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If you have the time and would like to help out , kindly contact the number below -
Help ADFM raise greater awareness of Alzheimer's Disease/ Dementia!

Add:
No.6, Lorong 11/8E,
Sec 11, 46200 PJ

Tel: 603 - 7956 2008
email: adfmcaregivers@gmail.com
website: ADFM

1 comment:

Selba said...

Wish there's things to prevent old people from alzheimer.