KOCHI: The famous writer Devdutt Patanaik has described Alzheimer’s as ‘the death of imagination’. Alzheimer’s is a disease that takes away memories, hopes, possibilities to a stage that the patient can’t work, can’t live alone and is totally dependent, like a baby. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, a group of disorders that have impairment in mental function, and accounts for 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases. It is a complex and frightening condition that is irreversible and eventually affects the ability to carry out even the simplest tasks.
With demographic aging picking up momentum in India, the problem of dementia is set to rise. The numbers of persons with dementia double every 5 years of age and so India will have one of the largest numbers of elders with this problem. The prevalence of dementia increases steadily with age and higher prevalence is seen among older women than men. Only 2% of cases start before the age of 65 years. An estimated 4 million people are affected by dementia in India and this number is expected to double by 2030.
In the majority of cases, symptoms first appear in the mid-60s. There are some warning signs and symptoms of which one or more signs may appear in a different degree. Often the first symptom is a failure of memory, specifically difficulty in recalling information that has recently been learned. They may forget to pay monthly bills which they regularly paid. They may find it difficult to complete familiar tasks at home or work. They may lose their way or get confused while driving to a known place. Other signs of memory loss include forgetting important dates or events; asking for the same information over and over; increasingly getting serious enough to interfere with life on a day-to-day basis.
In addition to memory loss, symptoms include trouble completing tasks that were once easy, difficulty solving problems even simple ones like counting the right amount of money to be paid, changes in mood or personality, withdrawing from friends and family, problems with communication, either written or spoken, confusion about places, people and events, and visual changes with trouble understanding images.
Currently, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s.
But with early detection, patients can get the maximum benefit from available treatments that may provide some relief of symptoms and help with both cognitive and behavioural symptoms to maintain a level of independence for a longer period.
It is important to have the understanding how Alzheimer’s affects the patient and those around him. There is a increased need for formal training programmes for the regular care givers and those who closely associate with the patients.
The care required includes support with personal activities of daily living like eating, washing, dressing, grooming and toileting, activities of daily living like cooking, shopping, laundry ,taking care of household finances, safeguarding personal properties and general supervision. There are limited number of residential care services run by NGOs, day care centers, support groups and memory clinics. Advanced hospitals like Aster Medcity have specialist clinics that help to address the problem as well as support groups to provide solace and support to care givers and family members.