(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) A walkathon to create awareness about Alzheimer's will be held at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex on Monday.
Titled ‘Your Mind Matters; Remember 2014', the walkathon is being organised by the Ageing and Dementia Research Group at Sultan Qaboos University in association with the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital and Oman Alzheimer's Society.
Addressing a press conference on Thursday, Dr Mohammed Essa, principal investigator, Ageing and Dementia Research Group said, ''An estimated 5,000 people are affected by Alzheimer's in Oman. There is no exact figure as there are several cases wherein people do not know if it is a disease and often relate it with old age.''
He said experts will inform the public on the latest developments, ongoing research work in this area and treatment options available in the sultanate.
''The walkathon is aimed at creating awareness on the long-term effects of brain injuries which could result in Alzheimer's.''
Dr Hamad al Sinawi, consulting psychiatrist said, ''Alzheimer's symptoms may not be detected early but we need to educate families and provide them guidance on how to deal with patients. Initial symptoms of the disease may include difficulty in recognising shapes, short term memory loss and interruption in the daily life schedule.
''Such patients go through a lot of trauma. Alzheimer's is multifactorial and not based on one cause. As Oman has seen an increase in life expectancy levels, we want to focus on community and emotional support programmes for the patients.''
The group comprises faculty members from departments of food science and nutrition, behaviour medicine, medicine - neurology unit and pathology from SQU, and department of pharmacology, Oman Assistant Pharmacy Institute and Ministry of Health.
The walkathon is expected to see participation of more than 1,500 people. Entry to the event is free and T-shirts, caps and refreshments will be provided to all participants. Registration will start at 4.30pm on the day of the walka
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