Prevalence of dementia in elderly age population of Barangay Bangkal, City

BackgroundDementia, a significant cause of disability and dependency among older adults. The growing population of the elderly in the Philippines is expected to increase the prevalence of dementia in the country. PurposeThis study aims to determine the prevalence of dementia in the elderly population of Barangay Bangkal, Makati City. MethodsDescriptive cross-sectional community-based study was conducted to determine the prevalence of dementia in the elderly population of Barangay Bangkal, Makati City, aged 60 years and above over one month from mid-October to mid-November 2019. Data was collected with help of Mini-Mental State Examination - Philippines version (MMSE-P) to determine the cognitive status and diagnose dementia in elderly population. ResultsA total of 266 elderly adults participated in the study. Representatives of the study population were male (59.0%), married (68.0%), with an income of less than 5,000 peso (51.1%), working (64.3%), and with high school education (42.1%). The average age of the study population was 68.02 (+ 6.76) years. The average MMSE score of the participants was 27.05 (+ 3.94). The prevalence of dementia in the sample was 18.8%. Age, income, and level of education were associated with the MMSE score (r{square} = - 0.26, n = 266, p < 0.001, r{square} = 0.23, n = 266, p < 0.001, and rs = 0.19, n = 266, p = 0.002, respectively). The findings for statistical significance do resonate with clinical significance as evident during administration of MMSE score. ConclusionAdvancing age increases the risk for cognitive decline while higher income and education level prevent or delays the onset of dementia. Collaborative management between the medical education faculty & students, researchers, and local state health officials might address dementia in the region.