BANGKOK, 8 February 2013 The Public Health Ministry is promoting the awareness about Alzheimer’s disease by giving knowledge about the disease to the public. An application to check if a person has the Alzheimer’s condition will be launched in the middle of February.
Deputy Public Health Minister Chonlanan Srikaew announced that the ministry, the Alzheimer Foundation of Thailand, and Thailand Center of Excellence for Life Sciences (TCELS) will hold an Alzheimer’s awareness event at the park in the Public Health Ministry on February 15th.
Mr. Chonlanan said at least 25 million people in this world are suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and the number is increasing by 5 million each year. Thailand currently has around 1 million Alzheimer’s patients
According the Alzheimer Foundation of Thailand, Alzheimer’s is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior. Symptoms usually develop slowly and get worse over time, becoming severe enough to interfere with daily tasks.
The deputy minister said a person who uses technological assistance, such as calculator, reminder, and smart phone, since young age risks having the disease as the brain does not work fully. He advised children to read books, do math recitation, or sing from memory. Meanwhile, the elderly are urged to do math problems.
Alzheimer Foundation of Thailand President Yuth Bodharamik cited that sexual intercourse releases endorphin, which helps prevent dementia; while doing math problems and playing card games also get the brain working. Exercise and eating healthy food are also good practices to prevent the disease.
The foundation and TCELS announced that an application on Alzheimer’s test will be launched for iPad and android users. People can assess their own conditions and get information about the disease. The program will be launched on February 15th. People could get more information and download it for free from www.alz.or.th or www.tcels.or.th
