KOCHI: A high-level meeting headed by Minister for Higher Education R Bindu was held to decide the implementation of the Bodhi Project to make Kerala dementia-friendly. The project is being implemented by Prajna, the brain research department of Centre for Neuroscience at Cusat in association with the social justice department and district administration, to develop Ernakulam to become the first dementia-friendly district in the country.
Kochi was declared India’s first dementia-friendly city in 2021 as a result of Prajna’s activities. The meeting’s aim was to decide on implementing the second phase of Bodhi as a pilot project across the district and extend the activities to the entire state after its success in the first phase.
In phase-I, Bodhi undertook activities for diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and empowerment of people suffering from dementia in the district.
The meeting also proposed to start memory clinics at primary health centres to increase awareness about dementia, and begin care centres and memory cafes to assist and empower patients at grassroot level. Launch of more screening centres for early diagnosis, facilities for therapy, daycare and counselling services, awareness programmes at panchayat and block levels across the state was also discussed.