Ahead of the 73rd World Health Assembly, which was held 18-19 May 2020 and focused on the COVID-19 pandemic, ADI submitted a statement to the World Health Organization (WHO) and its Member States.
In this statement, ADI urges WHO and its Member states that dementia must not be neglected during the COVID-19 outbreak, particularly due to the fact that age is the biggest risk factor for dementia, and we know the elderly are the age group being most seriously affected by COVID-19.
In the statement, ADI lists a number of concerns on behalf of the 52 million people living with dementia globally, and the millions of others impacted by the condition, writing:
We are concerned that the factors … will undermine progress being made towards achieving the targets of the WHO’s Global action plan on dementia. We will continue to work with our member Alzheimer and dementia associations and the WHO to maintain progress, but it is essential that every Member State includes dementia in their responses to COVID-19. Otherwise, people living with dementia – whose concerns are so often side-lined at the best of times – will be left behind.