BENGALURU: An art session summed up the weekend for ageing grandparents who accompanied their little grandchildren to the event, breaking the chains of isolation. Repair Cafe and Cogworks collaborated with Citizens Welfare Association of Richmond and Langford Town on Saturday to encourage awareness on managing dementia and healthy ageing. The session marked World Alzheimer’s Day with a range of activities where the aged along with their grandchildren co-created art pieces.
The events included upcycled art workshop, movement workshop, music by Bengaluru-based band Jambalaya and an interactive talk session with doctors on dementia. The event was a part of a project funded by Burning Man, US.
“Today, I am able to understand the concept of dementia. As a grandmother, being busy with grandchildren and enjoying every moment with them keeps dementia away. Not just by staying together, but also taking them out to the park, movies and participating in sports activities is something which a grandmother can do. Sitting and making art, solving puzzles and telling them stories are a few activities that keeps you engaged,” said Usha Narayanan, who visited the programme with her grandchildren.
All art at the event was made out of waste products. Except for paints, nothing was bought. They created art out of tetra packs, bottles, glasses, broken tiles, compact disk cases, and old kitchen shutters. “I really enjoyed this workshop. It was relaxing and I am going to use these waste bottles as a vase,” said 11-year-old Shachi Kadaba.
Dr Ratanavalli Ellajosyula, consultant neurologist and specialist in Cognitive Neurology, said, “There are more than a hundred causes of dementia but the commonest cause would be Alzheimer’s disease, which is a degenerative condition. About one-third of dementia cases can be prevented. It is a syndrome so any person who acquires the disease develop cognitive impairment.”
She added that early subtle symptoms would be lack of interest so the person may get more withdrawn. “People can suspect that they are depressed but sometimes it can just be lack of interest, drop-in activities, becoming forgetful, repetitious, misplacing objects, forget simple conversations and may find it difficult to find his/her way around neighbourhoods. One should see a psychiatrist or a neurologist because sometimes, family physicians dismiss the symptoms. In India, strokes also is a contributive cause to Alzheimer’s,” she said during the interaction.
Using art to promote awareness on dementia, grandchildren can actually help in maintaining continuity, improving their activities, sharing and empathising with them. “Changes in the brain may start at the age of 40 but a person might develop dementia 20 years down the line. We should improve community participation in India because people are not able to engage with the elderly,” Ellajosyula added.
Shweta Kadaba a psychologist at Cogwork, said keeping oneself engaged can lead to the slowdown of dementia by keeping the mind active because at home, people are mostly isolated. Cogwork is an activity and enrichment group for people with dementia. It offers three-hour sessions where aged people involve themselves in yoga, movements, art and craft, cooking, baking, gardening and socialising.