March 01, 2024
The Global Conversation on Brain Health and Alzheimer’s – a high-level event was organized in Washington, D.C., by the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative (DAC) and Scientific American. At the event, experts and policymakers discussed new innovations in diagnosing and treating Alzheimer’s, along with the challenges of implementing these innovations in healthcare systems worldwide. The event featured personal reflections from Senator Susan Collins and insights on the implications of an aging society from OHT’s Dr. Arindam Nandi.
Globally, Alzheimer’s disease also presents an enormous economic burden – costing the world’s economies some $1.3 trillion, in terms of medications as well as care – much of it unpaid, noted Nandi.
In the past, economic data came mostly from high-income countries, now, data is available from lower and middle-income countries like India and China.
“These data depict a worrying trend; the percentage of unpaid care is higher in these countries, meaning that caregivers are not able to get other jobs, decreasing economic output,’ he said.
Nandi also mentioned that predictive models forecast the shifting burden of disease from high-income countries to middle- and low-income countries. “We don’t know how these populations will fare.” Investments in these countries are needed to strengthen their overall public health measures.
Read the full coverage in Health Policy Watch here.
