Barbados is currently facing a critical gap in dementia care planning: there is no complete, reliable count of how many people across the island live with the neurodegenerative condition. This data deficit is a top priority for the Barbados Alzheimer’s Association, which has announced that building a comprehensive, accurate dataset of dementia patients is a core medium- and long-term organizational goal.
Cyril Burke, the association’s Public Relations Officer, shared details of the initiative during an interview with reporters on the sidelines of the World Alzheimer’s Month Health and Wellness Fair, held Saturday at the Main Guard Building in Garrison. Burke explained that clearer, more precise data would allow both the association and partnering health and social agencies to tailor support services to meet patient needs far more effectively – a benefit that becomes especially critical during public health emergencies or sudden crisis events.
“Right now, we do not have definitive numbers on how many Barbadians live with dementia. This creates real challenges for our work, and it is a gap we are committed to closing,” Burke noted. “Once we have an accurate count and know where affected individuals are located, we can deliver targeted support, and ensure that patients get the specialized care they need immediately if an emergency strikes. That is the core of our medium- to long-term work on this front.”
The health fair, held as part of global World Alzheimer’s Month observances leading up to World Alzheimer’s Day on September 21, offered a wide range of free services and educational resources to local attendees. Beyond general health screenings – including blood pressure tests, blood sugar and cholesterol checks, body mass index assessments, and free prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing – the event also provided free cognitive screenings for early dementia detection. Visitors could also access evidence-based information on dementia risk factors and prevention strategies, along with personalized medical and legal guidance for patients and their families.
Burke reported that public engagement with World Alzheimer’s Month activities has been overwhelmingly positive so far, adding that dementia touches a far larger cross-section of the Barbadian community than many realize, affecting people across all age groups from early-onset cases through advanced-stage diagnoses.
Beyond improving data collection, Burke also emphasized the often-overlooked burden placed on dementia caregivers, who face chronic high levels of physical and emotional stress while supporting loved ones, and called for greater public and institutional support for this group. He also used the event as an opportunity to educate the public on key early warning signs of dementia, pushing back against the common misconception that occasional minor forgetfulness – such as misplacing keys or everyday items – is a primary indicator of the condition.
Instead, Burke explained that consistent, disruptive patterns of behavior and cognitive decline are the key red flags. “One of the most common early signs is repeated behavior: saying the exact same thing six or eight times over a short period,” he explained. “People may start forgetting how to do simple, familiar daily tasks that they’ve done their whole lives – things like brushing their teeth, buckling a belt, or making a cup of tea. In more noticeable cases, patients may forget their spouse’s name, or mix up the names of their own children.”