Low awareness puts Tamil Nadu’s dementia patients at risk

When Vinaya’s mother didn’t return home after her evening walk, she panicked. Later she found her standing at the building’s entrance with a blank expression. She was in her 70s and one’s memory begins to decline at that age, she had assumed. Six months later, when Vinaya noticed a gradual decline in her day-to-day activities, she took her to a psychiatrist who diagnosed it to be Alzheimer’s.

Memory loss, one of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s is often mistaken as a natural part of ageing and overlooked. Alzheimer’s accounts for 60 to 80 per cent of the total cases of dementia, which stands at a whopping 4.1 million cases in India alone. The incidence of dementia among inmates in free old age homes in Chennai is high with 32 per cent having cognitive problems, says Dr Ravi Samuel, cognitive behaviour psychotherapist. Alzheimer’s is one of the commonest forms of dementia, a broad term for diseases with a wide range of symptoms like a decline in memory or other thinking skills that reduce a person’s ability to perform everyday activities. 

Dr R Sathianathan, vice-chairperson, Alzheimer’s and Related Disorders Society of India (ARDSI), says inability to detect the symptoms early makes the condition deteriorate, causing angst in those affected and the family. He adds, “Though awareness has improved, a large section of cases is diagnosed in moderate or severe stages. At that stage, there is mostly speech impairment and the personality begins to deteriorate. Caregivers, which is often one of the close relatives like spouse or daughter/ son pays attention only when they get aggressive or have anger outbursts. Urinary incontinence is common for them. This is when stigma creeps in and the condition becomes embarrassing. They are kept away from family functions or locked in a room when guests come over.” 

Dr VS Natarajan, senior geriatric physician, says he applies one simple tool for diagnosis. “If the person himself admits memory loss, it may not be dementia. But if his or her spouse says so, it is a reason to suspect it,” he says. An aspect of the condition is the burden on caregivers, points out Dr S Mohan Raj, consultant psychiatrist. “There are professional caregivers, but how many of the families can afford them?”