Browsing by Author "Thumala, Daniela"
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Item Aging and health policies in chile: New Agendas for research(2017) Thumala, Daniela; Kennedy, Brian K; Calvo, Esteban; Gonzalez-Billault, Chriastian; Zitko, Pedro; Lillo, Patricia; Villagra, Roque; Ibáñez, Agustín; Assar, Rodrigo; Andrade, Maricarmen; Slachevsky, AndreaPopulation aging is among the most important global transformations. Compared to European and North American countries, Chile is among the countries with the fastest growth of life expectancy at birth during recent decades. The aging of Chile's population is related to the improvement of living conditions, but also entails risks that tend to be associated with a rapid economic growth accompanied by large income inequalities and a chronic deficit of basic social benefits. The rapid demographic transition towards an aged population has unfolded in a context of poor development of public policies to tackle the opportunities and needs associated with an aging society. This article provides a brief overview of current Chilean public policy on aging, with a focus on healthy aging as defined by World Health Organization. The discussion addresses core challenges to successfully achieve healthy aging in Chile.Item Dementia in Latin America: Epidemiological Evidence and Implications for Public Policy(Frontiers Research Foundation, 2017) Custodio, Nilton; Wheelock, Ana; Thumala, Daniela; Slachevsky, AndreaPopulation aging is among the most important global transformations. Today, 12% of the world population is of age 60 and over and by the middle of this century this segment will represent 21.5%. The increase in population of those aged 80 and over, also referred to as the “oldest old” or the “very elderly”, will be even more pronounced, going from 1.7% of the population to 4.5% within the same period. Compared to European and North American countries, Latin America (LA) is experiencing this unprecedented demographic change at a significantly faster rate. Due to demographic and health transitions, the number of people with dementia will rise from 7.8 million in 2013 to over 27 million by 2050. Nowadays, the global prevalence of dementia in LA has reached 7.1%, with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) being the most frequent type. This level is similar to those found in developed countries; however, the dementia rate is twice as high as that of the 65–69 years age group in developed countries. In addition, the prevalence and incidence of dementia is higher among illiterate people. Mortality rates due to dementia have risen considerably. The burden and costs of the disease are high and must be covered by patients’ families. The prevention of dementia and the development of longterm care policies and plans for people with dementia in LA, which take into account regional differences and similarities, should be urgent priorities.Item GERO Cohort Protocol, Chile, 2017-2022: Community-based Cohort of Functional Decline in Subjective Cognitive Complaint elderly(2020) Slachevsky, Andrea; Zitko, Pedro; Martínez-Pernía, David; Forno, Gonzalo; Court, Felipe A; Lillo, Patricia; Villagra, Roque; Duran-Aniotz, Claudia; Parrao, Teresa; Assar, Rodrigo; Orellana, Paulina; Toledo, Carolina; Rivera, Rodrigo; Ibañez, Agustín; Parra, Mario A; Christian González-Billault, Christian; Amieva, Helena; Thumala, DanielaBackground: With the global population aging and life expectancy increasing, dementia has turned a priority in the health care system. In Chile, dementia is one of the most important causes of disability in the elderly and the most rapidly growing cause of death in the last 20 years. Cognitive complaint is considered a predictor for cognitive and functional decline, incident mild cognitive impairment, and incident dementia. The GERO cohort is the Chilean core clinical project of the Geroscience Center for Brain Health and Metabolism (GERO). The objective of the GERO cohort is to analyze the rate of functional decline and progression to clinical dementia and their associated risk factors in a community-dwelling elderly with subjective cognitive complaint, through a population-based study. We also aim to undertake clinical research on brain ageing and dementia disorders, to create data and biobanks with the appropriate infrastructure to conduct other studies and facilitate to the national and international scientific community access to the data and samples for research. Methods: The GERO cohort aims the recruitment of 300 elderly subjects (> 70 years) from Santiago (Chile), following them up for at least 3 years. Eligible people are adults not diagnosed with dementia with subjective cognitive complaint, which are reported either by the participant, a proxy or both. Participants are identified through a household census. The protocol for evaluation is based on a multidimensional approach including socio-demographic, biomedical, psychosocial, neuropsychological, neuropsychiatric and motor assessments. Neuroimaging, blood and stool samples are also obtained. This multidimensional evaluation is carried out in a baseline and 2 follow-ups assessments, at 18 and 36 months. In addition, in months 6, 12, 24, and 30, a telephone interview is performed in order to keep contact with the participants and to assess general well-being. Discussion: Our work will allow us to determine multidimensional risks factors associated with functional decline and conversion to dementia in elderly with subjective cognitive complain. The aim of our GERO group is to establish the capacity to foster cutting edge and multidisciplinary research on aging in Chile including basic and clinical research.