Transforming the Lives of People with Dementia in Uganda

By Richard Semanda, Spark of Life Master Practitioner and Geriatrician, Founder of Geriatric Respite Care Foundation and CommonAge Ambassador

Jesca Nakiribango, Founder of the Dyslexic Rise and Shine Association, Kampala, Uganda

4th April, 2024

Introduction

Geriatric Respite Care Foundation and Dyslexic Rise and Shine Association are the first organisations in Africa to pioneer the Spark of Life Model of Care, educating families, communities and health professionals on how to support people with dementia.

We have observed unpredictable health challenges in people in Uganda, and especially when it comes to older persons with dementia, the situation is worse as the public has outdated, negative common perceptions and assumptions about the condition. There is a rapidly accelerating ageing population in Africa, and the problem has been compounded by the fact that there were no training opportunities for dementia care. In 2015, a Global Ageing Network Conference was held in Perth, Australia. This is where we learned about the Spark of Life Model of Care from Dementia Care International. Their charity arm Dementia Foundation for Spark of Life supported us to receive the essential Spark of Life Master Leadership Program education to help Ugandans.

Through these generous sponsors we attended the three-week intensive Spark of Life Master Leadership Program in November 2015.

We have utilized our new knowledge to pioneer Africa’s first rehabilitative Spark of Life Day Centre which is transforming many lives of people with dementia in Kampala and the surrounding region in Uganda. Through educating the local and wider community, our team now provides vital support and information, as dementia in Uganda is often misunderstood and even feared.

Our 2 organisations support each other. Ms Nakiribango,  implements the Spark of Life Model of Care with her teachers at the Rise and Shine Dyslexic Association.  The Spark of Life Skills we use empower the students to walk tall with confidence and to also have meaningful roles as volunteers for Mr Semanda’s Geriatric Respite Foundation. The students form a special relationship with the seniors with dementia, as our centres share the same building.

Working in a pro bono capacity, we provide a Spark of Life Community Outreach program educating families in smaller towns and villages and rural/remote organisations throughout in Uganda.  This outreach service provides, 24 hour care for the 300 Nuns at Nkokonjeru Convent. We oversee the program and provide monthly educational support and mentoring for the Nuns so they can care for their elders with dementia. The result is that the nuns in their community with dementia who had formerly been locked isolated in rooms are now involved in their community with compassionate care, and meaningful connections with the other nuns.

Jesca educating Nuns of Nkokonjeru Convent in the Spark of Life Philosophy & role modelling how to connect with a person who has dementia.

The model transformed the lives of our clients and families, and the wider community, with life-changing and lasting results. The impact of this education helps restore relationships broken through dementia, facilitates inclusion, and empathy both for people with dementia and their families.

Richard Semanda, Spark of Life Master Practitioner pictured here with colleagues Atuhaire Daphine in the orange polo and Nabulya Oliver in the purple polo. (text for photo with Mr Semanda and global month poster with 2 colleagues)

We teach and inspire the community to understand dementia through this model, and now have new skills to be of compassionate support. By reducing the stigma and misunderstandings about dementia we prevent abuse towards people with dementia in Uganda.

The model is straight-forward for us to implement, even here in our challenging environment since it is cost-effective and practical.

Recommendations

• The Spark of Life Model of Care is the best practice solution to support rural African communities of people with dementia.
• We recommend Governments sponsor the education of many dementia leaders, especially those from Africa where dementia information is scarce and where many still regard it as a Western challenge.
• We need age friendly policies that support and fund access to the Spark of Life Model of Care so we can transform the quality of dementia care that we provide.