A. Menarini, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Menarini Group − an Italian pharmaceutical company with more than 135 years of history is embarking on a campaign with CARiNG Pharmacy Malaysia and ACT4Health Sdn Bhd, a social enterprise spin-off of University of Malaya to launch the “Catch Mild Cognitive Impairment Early: Act Now, Remember More” campaign in driving awareness and early detection of mild cognitive impairment.
Cognitive health is related to the well-being of our brain, while mental health focuses on our emotional and psychological state. A healthy brain can learn, recall, and make decisions that allow us to conduct daily activities. However, when cognition starts declining, it can significantly affect an individual’s overall health and well-being, known as Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). People who live with MCI tend to have difficulty forming words, often losing things or forgetting to show up at important events. Unlike dementia and other severe cognitive impairment conditions, individuals with MCI can generally maintain their self-care abilities and continue with their daily activities. In contrast, dementia patients often struggle with self-care and may exhibit severe symptoms such as hallucinations and paranoia. This means that MCI is seen as a stage where the condition can be somewhat enhanced or slow down the progression by following healthy habits and diets.
According to Malaysian research published in 2023, patients with chronic disease have an elevated risk of developing mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The study with 207 participants also found that only 8% of the patients had some discussion about the risk of cognitive impairment with their physicians, while 8.2% needed clarification. Most of the participants (93.2%) did not initiate or share their concerns regarding dementia with their physicians, with 2.4% unsure if they had ever discussed this topic. There is a low level of awareness of basic knowledge on dementia among the elderly, especially those at risk of developing mild cognitive impairment and its associated factors.
“Launching this campaign is extremely important and meaningful for us at A. Menarini as we also have like-minded partners like CARiNG Pharmacy and ACT4Health to tackle this pressing cognitive issue identified through research and community feedback. There are risk factors that could contribute to the development of MCI. Factors not under our control, such as age and family medical history are fixed and unavoidable but modifiable measures can be altered or avoided to reduce MCI. Making positive changes to any modifiable risk factors may have a chance to decrease susceptibility. While we can make changes in our daily activity to live a healthy lifestyle, it is also crucial to do a proper screening with the right healthcare professionals to spot any early symptoms and receive appropriate medical support,” said Josie Ong, Commercial Director of A. Menarini Singapore Pte Ltd (Malaysia branch)
Reaching out to more Malaysians for early detection to slow down the development of MCI
A. Menarini, CARiNG Pharmacy and ACT4Health have joined forces to offer the Visual Cognitive Assessment Test (VCAT) at selected CARiNG Pharmacy outlets in Malaysia. The test's purpose is to raise awareness of MCI among Malaysians and help people evaluate their risk of MCI. This enables early diagnosis and intervention if necessary.
VCAT involves a series of visual and cognitive tasks to measure aspects of cognition function, such as memory and attention. The tasks involve pattern recognition, spatial reasoning, memory recall, and decision-making. Once the test is completed, the results will be analysed to provide a status of the individual’s cognitive health and determine whether healthcare professional involvement is necessary.
Commenting on the campaign, Bu Min Yee, Senior Training Executive/Pharmacist, CARiNG Pharmacy, shared, “This exclusive partnership with A. Menarini is a way to advance our commitment to increasing awareness of MCI and promoting early detection. At CARiNG Pharmacy, we are community-driven and here to drive early detection and empower our consumers to take the next steps. We want to ensure that if the VCAT shows early signs of MCI, they are guided to healthcare providers like ACT4Health for more specific diagnoses. The main goal of this tri-partnership is to enable the community and educate them about MCI and prevention strategies. We hope more Malaysians will take this opportunity to take the VCAT test for free at our selected CARiNG Pharmacy outlets. We invite them and their family to drop by these selected outlets for this 15-minute cognitive test.”
Empowering ourselves with health literacy for early detection
While there is no curative treatment for severe cognitive impairment, it is crucial to establish a comprehensive management strategy to prepare patients and their caregivers for the challenges ahead, with a primary focus on improving quality of life.
“Statistics from the AGELESS research project show that up to one in five individuals aged 60 years and over experience memory loss whereas four out of ten are socially vulnerable. For many, the memory deficits can be transient, while for others, this can be considered an early sign of dementia. Statistics published by the Institute of Public Health through their ‘National Health and Morbidity Survey — The Elderly’ five years ago found that one in 12 Malaysians aged 60 years and over have dementia. The AGELESS project has enhanced our ability to recognise cognitive frailty early by defining groups that are more likely to develop cognitive frailty but, more importantly, groups that can recover,” Professor Dr Tan Maw Pin, Geriatric Medicine Consultant, Founder and Managing Director of ACT4Health Sdn Bhd shared.
Professor Dr Tan added, “Everyone needs to understand that their health is also their responsibility, and as caregivers to older family members, we must also remember to empower them to seek help early. This also means that besides going in for regular eye and dental check-ups or blood tests, cognitive health can benefit from regular medical check-ups, especially if we notice early signs or have relatives with MCI. As we all know, early detection can help us plan for long-term care and take health actions before the condition worsens, such as changing our diet and exercising more. Caregivers should also be prepared for patients’ behavioural changes to offer the most suitable care.”
Through the “Catch Mild Cognitive Impairment Early: Act Now, Remember More” campaign, A. Menarini, CARiNG Pharmacy and ACT4Health hope to emphasise the importance of understanding and addressing MCI. The VCAT is now available free of charge at selected CARiNG Pharmacy outlets. For more details on test availability and locations, please visit the CARiNG Pharmacy official Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/caring2u?mibextid=ZbWKwL].
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