JAKARTA, 2 March 2022 – In line with the priorities of ASEAN Work Plan on Youth 2021-2025, particularly on youth participation and engagement, Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) and ASEAN joined forces in a webinar on Intergenerational Collaboration for ASEAN Community-Building: Dementia is your Business too!
Over 80 Representatives of ADI and its youth members, representatives of ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Youth (SOMY), youth leaders, health practitioners and likeminded organisations, gathered to exchange knowledge and experience on the youth’s role as caregivers and leaders of awareness-raising and outreach initiatives.
“Building on the active role of ADI in initiating conversations and youth-led efforts on dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in ASEAN, we should use this opportunity to bring in our young people and call for their leadership and creativity that will eventually help us to protect our loved ones and communities from the disease,” said Secretary-General of Malaysia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports and SOMY Chairperson, Dato’ Jana Santhiran Muniayan, in his opening remarks.
ASEAN Secretariat through the Education, Youth and Sports Division represented by Dr Roger Chao Jr delivered a presentation on Youth and Intergenerational Collaboration in ASEAN Community-building.
Alongside ASEAN Secretariat, ADI Asia Pacific Regional Director, DY Suharya, and representatives of ADI chapters in Brunei Darussalam and Indonesia; Honorary Advisor demensia Brunei (dB), Datin Jaqueline Wong and Deputy Executive Director Alzheimer’s Indonesia, Amalia Fonk-Utomo, shared various youth-led activities in ADI’s national chapters.
Brandon Chua, a young dementia caregiver and youth advocate from dB, shared his experience and ideas to empower young caregivers and youth leaders in the fight against dementia through community projects. The webinar was facilitated by Laura Dabas, ADI Membership Manager.
The presentations and exchange of views highlighted ASEAN’s commitments on healthy, active, and productive ageing, such as the promotion intergenerational solidarity as appears in the 2015 Kuala Lumpur Declaration on Ageing: Empowering Older Persons in ASEAN, and the establishment of ASEAN Centre for Active Ageing and Innovation in 2020.
The webinar also touched on the importance of social, physical, and emotional engagement in caring for people with dementia, how to deepen understanding on dementia among family members, and safeguarding of caregivers’ mental health to create a dementia-friendly environment.
Towards the end of webinar, the Call to Action recommended ASEAN and ADI to explore collaborations and tap on various momentums, such as the G20, Y20, and C20 to mobilise and connect the youth, governments and relevant stakeholders to tackle and anticipate the increasing global burden of dementia, which has also been affecting the Southeast Asian countries.
