Technical Meeting on the Public Health Aspects of Dementia in the Americas

It is estimated that 10.3 million people are living with dementia in the Americas, costing the Region an estimated US $379 billion. Despite progress made over the past years, the marked impact of dementia in the Americas will require accelerated actions and interventions by Member States, and other strategic partners. Areas of urgent concern include the lack of population-level monitoring of dementia indicators which is essential for countries to make evidence-informed decisions regarding dementia diagnosis and treatment, support for dementia caregivers, and the implementation of national dementia policies.  

To exchange lessons learned and achievements to date and to allow Member States and territories of the Americas to better understand how the global dementia action plan can be implemented in their country, a regional workshop was held by PAHO on 18 November 2021. The workshop was attended by one hundred and sixty seven (167) participants, including representatives of thirty five (35) Member States and territories of the Americas and relevant stakeholders such as people with lived experience of dementia and their caregivers, researchers and dementia experts, as well as civil society partners such as Alzheimer’s Disease International.  

The virtual workshop presented a great opportunity to learn about ongoing activities in the Region of the Americas across all seven strategic action areas of the global dementia plan and represents an important step to plan future actions at the national level. A recording of the workshop can be accessed in English, Spanish and Portuguese.  

For more information about the workshop, please visit Technical Meeting on the Public Health Aspects of Dementia in the Americas - PAHO/WHO | Pan American Health Organization