title: Assessing dementia in resource-poor regions.
abstract: The numbers and proportions of elderly are increasing rapidly in developing countries, where prevalence of dementia is often high. Providing cost-effective services for dementia sufferers and their caregivers in these resource-poor regions poses numerous challenges; developing resources for diagnosis must be the first step. Capacity building for diagnosis involves training and education of healthcare providers, as well as the general public, development of infrastructure, and resolution of economic and ethical issues. Recent progress in some low-to-middle-income countries (LMICs) provides evidence that partnerships between wealthy and resource-poor countries, and between developing countries, can improve diagnostic capabilities. Without the involvement of the mental health community of developed countries in such capacity-building programs, dementia in the developing world is a disaster waiting to happen.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Neurosciences, University of Zulia, Edificio del Instituto de Enfermedades Cardiovasculares de la Universidad del Zulia, Primer Piso, Av Universidad diagonal al MACZUL, Maracaibo, 4002 Zulia, Venezuela. gem6@columbia.edu
authors.forename: Gladys E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Maestre
mesh_terms: D057191:Capacity Building / Q000191:economics*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000191:economics* / Q000628:therapy; D003906:Developing Countries / Q000191:economics; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000191:economics*; D006295:Health Resources / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D006801:Humans