Tag: health

THE SILENT THIEF

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I started this personal blog site almost ten years ago mainly to hone my writing skills while sharing my wealth of knowledge and skills to impact the readers in my small way. What I love most is that I give myself freedom to write on any topic which I consider important at that moment in time. Sometimes I follow what is going on around me and other times; some topics keep showing up in my brain until I write about them. I research the topic that I am writing about to make it balanced. I must admit that I do not write about the politics of the day though I know very well that politics breathes into all aspects of our lives.

I have been led into today’s post by what  I have been observing in the elderly people in my community. I want to draw attention to it and raise awareness of it in our society.

While growing up, the elderly : 70 years and older, were very few in our villages and we treated them with great respect and dignity. Almost all of them were mentally agile and enjoyed relative good health. They walked with the support of a stick. That is how we drew them in our art lessons. My paternal aunt died aged 104 years in 2002. By then I was working in Botswana and came home every 2- 3 years . She surprised me on my last visit when she asked me, “Jane, when did you come back to Uganda?’’

One of my cousins died two years ago aged 104 but still insisting on choosing what she wanted to wear for the day and engaging visitors in flowing conversations and prayer.

However, I have been visiting an 86 years old male relative for the last five years, taking care of his 80-year-old wife suffering from dementia in a society where women nurture and take care of the sick. The children abroad help out by paying for the day care nurse , the food and medicines she requires. Talking to him reveals a frightened person not sure of what will happen next. He is emotionally tired most of the time. Whenever I visit them , I end up being sucked into their situation. I feel his pain of watching a beloved disappear little by little and yet being only able to do so little for her.

It always reminds me of Nicholas Sparks 1996 romance novel entitled The Notebook. It was adapted into a film in 2004. The protagonist Noah watched helplessly as Alice, his childhood sweetheart, wife of 49 years, slowly lose clarity due to Alzheimer’s disease.

“Alzeheimer’s …. It is a barren disease, as empty and lifeless as a desert. It is a thief of hearts and souls and memories.’’- Nicholas Spark, in The Notebook.

 According to the World Health Organisation(WHO) website:  https://www.who.int

  •  dementia is an umbrella term for several diseases affecting memory, thinking, reasoning skills and ability to perform daily activities.
  • It is a chronic progressive disease of the brain caused by damage to it.
  •  It is the 7th leading cause of death and a major cause of disability and dependency among old people worldwide.
  • 9% of dementia occurs in the young while 91% occurs in the 65+years of age. It tends to get worse after 65 years of age.
  • 60-70 percent of dementia are caused by Alzheimer’s disease.
  • It is not an inevitable part of ageing. It has no cure.

Dementia has become more prevalent in the last 50 years. In 2021, about 57 million people were living with dementia worldwide. 10 million new cases are diagnosed each year.

In May 2017, WHO recognised dementia as a public health priority. It drew out  the Global Action on the Public Health Response to Dementia  for 2017-25. It is meant to address the skyrocketing global dementia cases that threaten to overwhelm the health care systems.

It has been officially extended to 2031 as many countries had fallen back on their targets. It serves to increase awareness, reduce stigma, reduce risk of dementia and improve the diagnosis, treatment and care- to improve the quality of life and daily functioning while supporting their care givers.

The increase in cases is associated with an increase in the ageing populations and some modifiable health and lifestyle factors.

 Some Scientific studies have associated this increase rate with the increased use of chemical pollutants , fertilisers and insecticides in the last fifty years.

Pesticides are known to act as neurotoxins : toxins to nerve cells of insects and have been proved to accumulate over time in the human body. Chronic exposure to low levels of  environment pesticides  leads to their accumulation  in the brain cells , causing damage that results in age-related cognitive decline.

The changes in the brain start years before the clinical signs appear. As dementia develops slowly and invisibly, it is often called “ the silent thief’’.

Pesticide –related health risk remains a controversial topic that demands for more ongoing scientific cohort and cross-sectional studies in different populations.

 In some epidermiology studies, the increased chronic exposure to pesticides in some agricultural zones has been associated with higher rates of Alzheimer’s disease in the populations.

 Bill Gates, the American billionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist, a co- founder of the software company Microsoft(1975) , experienced the agony of watching his father whom he refers to as a ‘’ a giant in every sense of the word, slowly but steadily lose himself as he suffered from Alzheimer’s for almost thirteen years.  He died aged 94 years in 2020.

Since then Bill Gates has donated 300 million USD to Alzheimer’s disease Research:

  • To encourage researchers to work together and share information
  • To work with commercial partners to develop simple, better diagnostic tests and making them accessible.
  • Improve current treatments
  • Develop new accessible treatments
  • Study more and understand the pathology of the disease.

Previously, the diagnostic tests relied on invasive spinal taps or expensive PET scans.  Before the PET scans, the disease could only be confirmed after microscopic examination of the brain of a dead patient.

Available information indicates that since May 2025, there has been a blood-based diagnostic test for adults aged 55+  showing cognitive symptoms in USA. This is no mean achievement.

More thoroughly researched break throughs are likely to occur if more funds are made available.

According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics report of the National Population and Housing Census of 2024:

Uganda’s life expectancy has increased to 68.2 years.

Male averaging 66.9 years female averaging 70.1 years

The 60 + now are 5.0% of the population of 45.9 million

We are likely to see an increase in dementia cases.

We need to take precautions, increase awareness about the disease so as to reduce the risk of developing it.

 Not forgetting that Uganda  is mainly an agricultural country and  the use of synthetic fertilisers and pesticides which find their way into the water, food  and air, is on the increase.

 In my own circle, a number of friends; male and female, have been diagnosed with dementia in the last six years. It is very scary for many of us as the health care system is inadequate. Patients with dementia and their carers have very little support apart from family and friends.

We are left with focusing on the modifiable health lifestyle changes to reduce the risk of developing the disease.

These protect the brain and heart health. They include:

  • Regular exercises
  • Stopping the use of tobacco
  • Minimising the use of alcohol
  • Having a balanced diet and nutrition
  • Daily mental stimulation to challenge your brain. Keep learning new things.
  • Proper management of medical conditions like High Blood Pressure, Type 2 Diabetes and high cholesterol blood levels
  • Preventing injury to the head by wearing helmets and seatbelts.
  • Spend time engaging with family, friends, the community and nature.
  • Adequate regular sleep at night (7-8 hours)
  • Minimising indoor, outdoor environmental pollution.

These  two quotes about Alzheimer’s disease are enough to convey the devastating effects of the disease: The Mind Thief.

“Alzheimer disease is the silent thief that slips into your mind at night, stealing your most precious memories, your words, and your very identity, leaving you awake in a house of strangers that used to be your life.’’- Wendy Mitchell, a renown British author and global dementia advocate after being diagnosed with it, aged 58 years in 2014.

“Alzheimer’s is the cleverest thief, she not only steals from you , she steals the very thing that you need to remember what’s  been stolen’’ -Jarod Kintz

QUESTION : Are you seeing what I am seeing in the elderly around us?

Has this post helped you recognise the need for changes in your lifestyle to reduce the risk of developing dementia?

TEN GREEN BOTTLES STANDING ON THE WALL

Donkey’s years ago when I was in the primary school we used to sing one nursery rhyme often:


Ten green bottles standing on the wall, ten green bottles standing on the wall.


One bottle kept falling off accidentally , leaving one less bottles standing on the wall until all the bottles fall off. The song served the purpose of introducing counting and early number skills to us.
I would call it an exercise in subtraction. Of late, I have found myself singing that song often when alone in the house. I am relating it to what is happening in my life. In the last one year, I have found myself walking from one funeral service or burial into another!
I have been losing peers, childhood friends, relatives, colleagues left right and centre.
It just goes to confirm my birth order in society as a senior citizen. Amazingly, a few green bottles are still standing on the wall.
In Uganda, the life expectancy at birth for male and female was 62.9 and 67.2 respectively according to the 2019/2020 Uganda National Household Survey. Generally, worldwide, females tend to live at least five years longer than their male counterparts.
Generally, we are all living longer worldwide due to :
*Medical advancements- such as the development of vaccines and the discovery of antibiotics.
*Better access to health care
*Improvement in nutrition
*Better hygiene and living conditions.


I just have to learn to live comfortably with the fact that at my age , I am living on borrowed time.
I have never stopped appreciating that members of my generation have gone through turbulent years of civil strife ( 1966-1986), the HIV/AIDS pandemic of the 90s and beyond and the recent COVID-19 Respiratory Disease Pandemic of 2020-2022. Whoever is still standing is a real survivor and should exploit the opportunity of making the most of the time left.


If one green bottle should accidentally fall, there will be nine green bottles standing on the wall.

Ageing is a biological process and can be defined as the time-related deterioration of the physiological functions necessary for survival and reproduction.
The United Nations uses 60+ as old age but in Africa where generally life expectancy at birth is lower than in the developed countries, 50 or 55 is considered old. Pension schemes tend to use 60-65 for eligibility.

In August 2020, The United Nations General Assembly declared the decade of 2021-2030 as the decade of Healthy Ageing to improve the lives of old people, their families and their communities.
This healthy ageing concept consists of five key aspects aimed at improving functional ability. They include:
*The ability to meet basic needs
*The ability to learn and grow and make decisions.
*The ability to be mobile
*The ability to build and maintain relationships
*The ability to contribute to society
All five are largely dependant on the environment.
The three main factors for successful ageing include: *Physical well being, *Cognitive health and

*emotional and social well-being.

The healthiest group in any population is the 18-29 years while the ages most vulnerable to infection, disease and cancers is 65+ .
Some geographical areas were defined as Blue Zones by researchers Michel Poulain and Giovanni Mario Pes in March 2000 as areas with lower rates of chronic disease and longer life expectancy than anywhere else.
They include :
Sardinia, Italy
Okinawa, Japan
Nicoya , Costa Rica,

Icaria Greece
Loma Linda , California.
The longevity and good health of individuals in these zones is dependent on their environment. Other influencing factors include:


*Diet- mostly plant- based, *restrict their caloric intake,

*minimal use of alcohol or drink only in moderation mostly take the red wine rich in antioxidants.

*Regular exercise- their lifestyle encourages natural vigorous movement; walking, farming, gardening, cook daily, clean, doing house work as part of their daily chores.
*They have a sense of purpose in life.
*They incorporate stress relief in a purposeful, regular manner into daily life.
*Faith is central to these communities.
*They have an extended family structure with the young and old living together.
*They have strong supportive social networks that encourage healthy, happy lives.

In my country , Uganda, those aged 60+ make up about 3.7 % of the total population.
According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics Population Projections Reports, 2015-2050
60-64—–1.4%
65-69 —–0.8%
70-74 makeup 0.7% of the population
75-79 —- 0.4
80+ —- 0.4 %
Little wonder then that anyone aged 65+ is hopping from one funeral vigil into another.

According to the Uganda Ministry of Health report on causes of death for the period of 2011-2021 , the leading causes of death in the 50+ age groups were:
*Heart disease
*Cancer
*Accidents ( preventable injury)
*Stroke(cerebral vascular diseases)
*Alzheimer’s disease
*Diabetes

There are multiple theories of ageing like the wear and tear.
Parts of the body wear out from repeated use.
Genetic mutations/abnormalities occur and accumulate with increasing age. Cells which are the building blocks of tissues and organs divide every day to replace old ones and during this process damage occurs in the genetic code/ DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) but are removed by the cells of the immune system. At 65+ the damage occurs fast and the weakened immune system fails to repair them as fast as they are being produced. Damage to the DNA in the mitochondria- the cell’s powerhouse in which the energy to drive functions of each cell is produced results in abnormal uncontrolled growth of the body cells which is linked to cancer and increases the risk of developing chronic diseases like Alzheimer’s.
Between 70 and 80 years of age, the immune system suffers severe deterioration with age. It is less able to mount an effective immune response when challenged with germs, especially the new emerging ones like COVID -19 respiratory virus.
This explains why in Italy at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, 81 % of the COVID-19 deaths occurred in people over the age of 65.
The Human Immunodeficiency virus( HIV) that has been with us for almost 40 years, infects and kills the cells of the immune system:CD4+ T lymphocytes thus weakening the body’s capacity to fight off infections. In the final stages of the disease –AIDS, the cells of the immune system are so depleted that the person dies of opportunistic infections. Since the discovery of highly active antiretroviral drugs in 1995, HIV/AIDS has become a chronic manageable disease.

Globally, we are living longer; we have to be prepared for the diseases that come with old age. Among these are different types of cancers. According to the Uganda cancer registry data of 2018, an estimated 33,000 Ugandans were diagnosed with cancer and there were 21, 829 deaths due to cancer. The most common cancers in Uganda are: cancer of the cervix, prostate, breast, Kaposi Sarcoma, Burkitt’s Lymphoma and lung cancer.
Worldwide new cancer cases are on the increase.
The old adage of : Prevention is better than cure, still holds today. The prevention of Noncommunicable diseases like cardiovascular diseases- heart attacks, stroke, cancers, diabetes and
chronic lung illness
should start early on in childhood by reducing the common risk factors and practicing healthy living.

Healthy Diets- eat a balanced diet every day.
Regular physical activity- keep your body moving and active. This boosts our mood and energy. The heart needs to be kept active.
*Avoid harmful use of alcohol.
*Avoid use of tobacco.
*Regular adequate sleep- an adult needs 7-8 hours of sleep every night.
*Stress Management – find a way that works for you to keep stress to the minimum. Stress affects other important elements of our health.
*Have a happy and positive attitude to life
*Regular health checks -especially after the age of 35- they can help to identify early warning signs of disease or illness. It increases the chances of treatment and cure.

He who has health has hope, and he who has hope has everything.- Arabian Proverb.


For the green bottles still standing on the wall, keep walking and keep having fun by doing what you love and enjoy doing.


“It is health that is real wealth not pieces of gold and silver.’’- Mahatma Gandhi

QUESTION :
Are you aware that the most healthy people among us are the ones who are always moving about like the barmaids and nurses?