Foreword։ The Alzheimer’s Disease Caregiver Guide is a useful and informative tool that is easy to read and understand for those caring for people with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias in Armenia. I hope this guide will become a primer in every medical clinic, hospital and other medical offices throughout the country.
‘Aging’ and the ‘loss of memory’ have always been part of the human experience since the beginning of time. Ancient people were very familiar with all the behavioral indicators of the brain disorder we now know as ‘dementia’. But during a period in history when human life-expectancy was less than 40-years of age, the incidence of this brain disease was very rare. Now a large proportion of the population, in most parts of the world, is destined to survive beyond the 8th, 9th and 10th decades of life.
One of the unintended consequences of this global longevity revolution is the extraordinary increase in the incidence of dementia. With an aging population, Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias are prevalent and on the rise in Armenia. Information and education about the disease is important not only in obtaining proper diagnosis but also in treatment of the disease.
Zaven S. Khachaturian, Ph.D.
You can read the full guide to caring for people with Alzheimer’s here, PDF)
