Misconceptions regarding dementia: What it is, what can be done and what should be done
Author: Professor Robert J Brent Professor, Department of Economics Fordham University, Bronx New York Email: brent@fordham.edu Volume: Brain 2023_CN37_AA03
International Live Conference on Brain: Latest Discoveries and Inventions
Date: June 16, 2023
Time: 8 PM Indian Standard Time
Location: Online Conference
Theme: Unlocking the Mysteries of the Brain: Advancements, Innovations, and Impact
Abstract :
There are three main misconceptions concerning dementia that currently exist in the medical field: What it is, what can be done, and what should be done. Firstly, the focus has been exclusively on brain pathology. This is a misconception as dementia is a behavioral condition. It is a cognitive disability that interferes with activities of daily living. Secondly, because no medications or surgeries have yet been discovered that can change brain pathologies, one could get the misconception that nothing can be done to treat dementia at this time. This is false, as there are many non-medical interventions that have been found effective in reducing the symptoms of dementia. It is because the symptoms of dementia can be reduced, as measured by the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale, that we can say that interventions for dementia already exist. Five interventions have been found effective using a large national data set that was provided by the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center (NACC). These interventions were years of education, Medicare eligibility, hearing aids, vision correction and avoiding living in a nursing home. In addition, two other interventions have found to be effective, reducing elder abuse and protecting human rights. Finally, the medical field has focused exclusively on finding effective interventions. This is a misconception because the public policy challenge is always to discover effective interventions that are socially worthwhile and therefore worth financing. Only if an evaluation finds that an intervention is effective, and has benefits greater than the costs, should the intervention be invested in. In this presentation we explain how the benefits can 2 be estimated for any dementia intervention. We then report the results of the Cost-Benefit Analyses of the seven non-medical interventions that were all found to be worthwhile.
Biography:
Robert J. Brent, Professor of Economics at Fordham University, specializes in Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) with a focus on health, mental health, transport, education, and agriculture. He has extensive experience in the US, UK, Africa, and Asia, including evaluating HIV/AIDS interventions in Tanzania. His research now centers on dementia interventions, non-medical approaches like education and assistive devices, and evaluating FDA-approved medications. Author of multiple books and articles, his expertise extends to elder abuse and human rights.
