Take care of your elderly parents

Deputy Interior Minister Prince Ahmed on Sunday urged people to take care of their parents who suffer from Alzheimer's disease.
Prince Ahmed was speaking at the fourth general assembly of the Saudi Alzheimer's Disease Association (SADA) held at Tuwaiq Palace.
“As we take care of our children, we also must take care of our elderly parents who need our support and advice,” the prince said.
Prince Ahmed, who is also the honorary chairman of SADA, donated SR 3 million on Sunday toward the association’s endowment fund. A collection of SR 1 million from philanthropists was announced at the general assembly following the presentation of SADA's annual budget by Ibrahim Al-Subayil.
Prince Saud bin Khaled bin Abdullah bin Abdulrahman, chairman of SADA, and its Vice Chairperson Princess Madawi bint Muhammed bin Abdullah bin Abdul Rahman also addressed the gathering.
Congratulating SADA on its remarkable achievements during a short span of time, Prince Ahmed pointed out the Kingdom has been witnessing unprecedented contributions toward charitable activities under the leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and Crown Prince Naif, deputy premier and interior minister.
He said the success achieved by organizing the first international conference on Alzheimer's disease at King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) in Riyadh was remarkable. “This was a major step forward toward helping the cause of Alzheimer patients.”
The conference sponsored by SADA was dedicated to the people in memory of the late Crown Prince Sultan, who was its honorary chairman. The three-day meet attracted world-renowned scholars specialized in the disease from the United States and Europe.
Prince Ahmed said that the conference was not only a forum to discuss scientific research but also a matter to be viewed through humanitarian and charitable angles.
“Its heartening to note that the association had harnessed the support of government and nongovernmental organizations in the Kingdom for its cause,” the prince said. He also thanked government agencies, especially the ministries of health and social affairs, for their constant support for SADA activities.
Prince Ahmed said that he is happy that SADA had been carrying out its strategic plans in line with the vision of King Abdullah and Prince Naif.
On arrival at Tuwaiq Palace, the prince took a tour of the exhibition that displayed the activities of SADA and highlighted the plight of Alzheimer's patients. The disease has already affected 2 percent of the Saudi population.
During the sessions of the assembly, Prince Ahmed and Prince Saud signed five cooperation agreements with various organizations including Prince Salman Social Center, Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Mishari Hospital, Saudi Physical Therapy Association, Saudi Stroke Association and Prince Salman Center for Disability Research.
SADA Chairman Prince Saud said the association has witnessed a leap in progress of its activities. The prince recalled that SADA received the Chaillot Award from the European Union for its continued efforts to spread awareness about Alzheimer's in the Saudi society and to improve the health and living standards of patients.
He said plans are under way to affiliate SADA with the London-based Alzheimer's Disease International (ADI).
ADI is the international federation of Alzheimer associations affiliated with the World Health Organization. Its vision is an improved quality of life for people with dementia and their families throughout the world. ADI runs the Alzheimer University, a series of practical workshops aimed at helping staff and volunteers of Alzheimer associations build and strengthen their organizations.
In her speech, Princess Madawi thanked philanthropists and charitable organizations that came forward to help SADA in implementing its plans and programs. “Our primary aim is to offer the best services to Alzheimer's patients and to provide counseling to caregivers,” the princess said, adding the association is also involved in several awareness programs to inform the public on how important it is to treat such patients.
Alzheimer's disease is one of many causes of dementia, an impairment in memory and thinking that is severe enough to affect an individual's ability to function in daily life. Symptoms of Alzheimer's disease are subtle at first and may be identical to those associated with other causes of dementia.
Alzheimer's disease begins with a mild, slowly worsening memory loss. These initial symptoms typically develop over a period of years and may be subtle. The disease progresses at different rates in different people. Over time, people with the disease lose their ability to think and reason clearly, make judgments, solve problems, communicate, concentrate, remember useful information and take care of themselves.
As the disease progresses, changes in personality and behavior can develop. Individuals may experience anxiety, agitation, paranoia, delusions and hallucination. Statistics indicate that nearly 36 million people worldwide are currently suffering from dementia, a figure expected to double to 65 million by 2030.