Research has found a general lack of knowledge of dementia among family carers, healthcare professionals and the general public in Kenya. The paper was written by STRiDE colleagues, Christine Musyimi, David Ndetei, Sara Evans-Lacko, Deborah Oliveira, Elizabth Mutunga and Nicolas Farina, and published in the journal Dementia this week.

The research aimed to explore the perceptions towards dementia and related care across three stakeholder groups in rural Kenya. A total of 38 key stakeholders participated in focus group discussions, including carers of people living with dementia, health care providers and the general public. Five additional individual interviews were held with carers.

The STRiDE team identified four themes across the three participant groups:

1. negative stereotypes of dementia;
2. limited knowledge about dementia;
3. diagnostic pathway; and
4. neglect and abuse.

The research concludes that the combination of poor awareness and ill-equipped healthcare systems leads to stigma manifested in the form of patchy diagnostic pathways, neglect and abuse. Local governments could take advantage of the existing family- and community-based systems to improve understanding of dementia nationally.

Full paper:

Musyimi CW, Ndetei DM, Evans-Lacko S, Oliveira D, Mutunga E, Farina N (2021) Perceptions and experiences of dementia and its care in rural Kenya, Dementia. https://doi.org/10.1177/14713012211014800