BENGALURU: The Alzheimer’s and Related Disorders Society of India (ARDSI), Bengaluru chapter, in collaboration with Nightingales Medical Trust (NMT) will be organising a training and awareness programme for professional caregivers and family members of patients suffering from dementia. Bengaluru is home to around 12 lakh senior citizens, of whom, about three per cent –around 36,000 – suffer from dementia, Premkumar Raja, secretary, ARDSCI Bengaluru, and co-founder, NMT, told CE, talking about the importance of such programmes.
The initiative, taken up for the first time by ARDSI, will start next month at NMT, Kasturinagar, with a separate programme for family members and professional caregivers, including mental health professionals, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, etc. The initiative for caregivers, to be carried out over 18 hours for three days, will focus on sign and symptom identification and ways to manage and empathise with the family members of a patient. For the family members, it will be carried out for 18 hours over six days and will involve creating awareness about dementia.
“There’s a common belief that only Sudoku or crosswords can help patients with Alzheimer’s manage their cognitive impairment. But it could actually be anything that they enjoy doing. So family members will also be briefed on ways to keep a patient engaged,” Shruthi Sivaraman, psychologist and team lead for dementia care at NMT, said.
EG Nagarajan’s wife Lalitha Nagarajan (80) has been struggling with Alzheimer’s for four years. While her short-term memory loss was initially dismissed, the family took note when she was unable to recall the number of children the couple had. “My wife could’ve been helped had I known the symptoms earlier,” he said.
Sivaraman said abroad, professionals are able to diagnose the disease beforehand and manage it better. “In India, there have been instances where despite a patient showing symptoms, the case is brushed aside as a regular side-effect of old age. If people are aware about the disease, they might be able to help others recognise it better too,” she added.
Preventing Alzheimer’s
● Change in lifestyle, stress, chronic insomnia (lack of sleep) leads to increased neuro-degeneration in the brain and results in memory loss.
● Stay socially active, engage in regular exercise, quit smoking, alcohol, healthy diet practice and consume abundant omega fatty acids and lower cholesterol levels.
● If you know anyone with Alzheimer’s, consider getting them a GPRS-enabled device, such as a watch, locket or bracelet, as patients tend to go missing because of loss of memory.
Spreading the word
ARDSI, Bengaluru, will also conduct an awareness campaign, Dementia Friends, next month. This is being held in India for the first time, after which participants will receive pocket certificates for being ‘Friend of Dementia’. The group is planning to spread awareness among students and corporate employees. “There is a need to create awareness on these diseases so that others can help those affected with dementia,” Roger Ephraim, manager, IT and communication, NMT, said.