HYDERABAD: On the occasion of Alzheimer’s Day (September 21), doctors in the city raise awareness about the condition, its confusion with dementia, the overall risks that come with it, advice for caretakers, etc. Health organisations are making a concentrated effort to increase awareness about this disease and educate people about the challenges in managing the disease. For the year 2022, the theme is ‘Know Alzheimer, Know Dementia’ with a focus on post-diagnosis care.
Dementia is generally considered a part of ageing; however, it does not occur naturally. Alzheimer’s Disease is the most common factor causing dementia, doctors say. As per the DementiaInIndia & #LASI Wave-I report, around 5.3 million Indians were affected by Dementia in 2020. This number is likely to go up to a staggering 14 million by the year 2050, besides the diagnosis, post-diagnosis care, caregiver burnout, unique treatment plan, and unique challenges in taking care of elders with dementia. Hence, a personalised treatment plan enabling regular monitoring and tracking of the elderly is the need of the hour. As the condition of the elderly worsens without adequate care and professional support, the whole family is bound to suffer great stress and pain.
Dr Yeshwanth Paidimarri, consultant neurologist, Apollo Clinic, AS Rao Nagar, opens by sharing the most important facts about the condition: “There are various types of dementia wherein the most common type is Alzheimer’s dementia. A person develops dementia due to a genetic abnormality in them. Once a person develops it, they have issues like memory loss and have to be dependent on their families for day-to-day functions at times. While there are medicines that can slow down the progress of the disease, there are no known treatments or cure that can reverse its effects. A person who keeps a constant brain activity in his/her daily life or job by applying intelligence and solves puzzles and crosswords as well as learns multiple languages is less likely to develop dementia.”
Dr Varun Reddy Gundluru, consultant neurologist at Yashoda Hospitals, Malakpet stresses that dementia is a condition wherein the cognitive functions of a person are disturbed and it causes disturbances in their daily activities which they were able to do easily previously. “The disturbances can happen in their memory, executive function, behaviour, navigation and language.
In all dementias, memory may not be the first that is affected. Alzheimer’s dementia is the one in which recent memory disturbances happen first. After that other cognitive disturbances happen one by one,” he says adding that, to avoid getting dementia, one needs to be physically and mentally active, have a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables, control blood pressure and sugar well, cut down on smoking and alcohol intake, and regular exercise - medications are available to improve the memory and behaviour disturbances associated with dementia.
He adds that the surroundings at home also need to be kept simple and easy for people with dementia to navigate: “Caregiver support and education are also of utmost importance in dementia. Many a time caregiver burnout is a problem due to the prolonged care they need to provide for dementia patients. Professional support may be required to ease their burden.”
Anvayaa Kin-Care, Hyderabad recently developed an AI-enabled ‘at-home Anvayaa’s Dementia Care Plan’ for compassionate care through a team of specially trained ‘care specialists’ who are guided by a team of qualified clinicians to provide customised support to persons with dementia and help the families to prevent burnout.
Dr Prashanth Reddy, founder and managing director of Anvayaa says, “We aim to improve the services to help elders live dignified life. We firmly believe that although Alzheimer’s cannot be reversed, with strategic interventions along with the trust and support of the elders and their families, we can help to delay the progress.”
Foods that can help prevent the risk of Alzheimer’s:
Omega-3 fatty acids - flaxseeds, walnuts and fatty fish
Turmeric - Use it in curries or dissolve some in your glass of milk and drink daily.
Foods rich in Vitamin C - Red peppers, oranges, broccoli and strawberry
— Dr A Harini, consultant psychiatrist