Now, a dedicated facility in Chennai for those battling dementia

CHENNAI: India has 41 lakh people with dementia, a condition that affects the brain, impairs its functions, including memory, and causes inability to perform familiar activities. In Chennai, about 30,000 people live with it but there are no centres specially designed for people with dementia.
That’s why Schizophrenia Research Foundation (SCARF) India has established a facility that will cater exclusively to their needs.Sri T S Santhanam Centre for Elderly Care and Sundram Fasteners Centre for Dementia Research in Selaiyur will be inaugurated on World Alzheimer’s Day, September 21, by the minister for health and family welfare, Ma Subramanian.
“With better healthcare and more awareness about health-related issues, the life expectancy in India has increased to 70.8 years. Along with it the chances of age-related disorders, such as dementia has also increased,” says psychiatrist Dr Thara Srinivasan of SCARF.
But the city lacks centres that are exclusively geared to address the needs of these patients and their caregivers, says Dr Sridhar Vaitheswaran, assistant director and consultant psychiatrist, Dementia Care in SCARF – DEMCARES. SCARF’s Centre aims to fill that vacuum. It will offer assessment, diagnosis, and treatment for dementia; a personalized care plan for each individual, education and support for family members, structured cognitive engagement and other psychological interventions to improve cognition and manage behavioural changes, nursing care, an activity hall; nutritious diet; and supervised activities.
“With inputs from the Dementia Services Development Centre at the University of Sterling, UK, we have come up with a dementia-friendly design so that people can carry out their functions as independently as possible,” says Dr Sridhar. “For instance, the toilet doors are a different colour with clearly labelled signages. In the evening, when the light fades, people with dementia can get agitated, so we have provided enough lighting in all areas. The flooring, wall and curtains are all plain, with no confusing patterns on it.”
The in-patient facility can house around 20 people. “We hope to keep the patients with us for a short while, and correct issues they face so that care can be continued at home,” says Dr Sridhar. “We have an activity area where patients will be offered cognitive stimulation therapy, using language, memory, and word association.”
SCARF’s new centre also plans to train and educate caregivers and begin offering nursing assistance at home. Dementia Care in SCARF (DEMCARES) already runs a support group for caregivers. “My 88-year-old mother was diagnosed with dementia three years ago though she was experiencing forgetfulness since she was 78,” says Syamala Babu, adding that caregivers face a lot of challenges. “Many of them don’t sleep at night, don’t remember if they have eaten or bathed, and live in the past, so you have to learn how to care for them. There is no cure for this condition. Also, each person with dementia is unique so sharing your experiences with other caregivers really helps.”