Living with dementia in Kenya: pathways to care, diagnosis and management

Authors

Edna Bosire, Aga Khan UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Department

Brain and Mind Institute

Abstract

Background: Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is experiencing a sharp rise in the size of theolder population; consequently, the incidence and prevalence of Alzheimer’s DiseaseRelated Dementias (AD/ADRD) is also expected to rise. There is limited research onAD/ADRD lived experiences have been conducted in SSA including Kenya. Our projectaimed to explore patient’s and caregivers lived experiences with Alzheimer’s disease inKenya.

Methods: This ethnographic study was conducted at the Aga Khan University hospital(AKUH), involving in-depth interviews with 21 health care providers, 26 patientswith mild cognitive impairment and 36 caregivers. We also conducted 10 homevisits and observations. Data were transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed.In what follows, we focus on vignettes of two people living with AD in Kenya, andtheir caregivers. Data from the other interviews are woven into the two vignettes todemonstrate lived experiences of AD.

Results: We identified 5 key themes: Knowledge and perception of dementia; Carepathways for patients; Dementia screening and diagnosis; Social support systems;Challenges and opportunities living with dementia. Overall, patients with dementiain Kenya have unique experiences – based their social-cultural and economic status,and access to healthcare services. Children or spouses are primary caregiver, and mostreported caregiving burden.

Conclusions & recommendations: People’s lived experiences with AD in Kenya isunique and influenced by multiple factors. Training primary health care providers indementia screening and diagnosis, ensuring availability of diagnostic tools, increasingadvocacy and awareness of dementia in Kenya are essential steps to enhance timelycare seeking, screening, diagnosis and treatment. More research is needed to developevidence-based community interventions to support informal care provision forpersons with dementia in Kenya

AKU Student

no

Publication (Name of Journal)

Alzheimer's & Dementia

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1002/alz70858_098462

Recommended Citation

Bosire, E. (2025). Living with dementia in Kenya: pathways to care, diagnosis and management. Alzheimer's & Dementia, 21(4), 1.
Available at: https://ecommons.aku.edu/eastafrica_ihd/243

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.