Inauguration of Day care Centre for Dementia patients
21st Sep 2016 World Alzheimer's Day
Banjara Hills Hyderabad
Yesterday I attended the inauguration of Zeba Bhashirudhin Day Care Center for Healthy Ageing in Banjara Hills. This is set up as a full fledged Day Care center working Monday to Saturday 10.00 am to 4:00pm. Specially designed for dementia patients but healthy senior citizens volunteering to give company and support are also welcome. The centre is equipped with games, puzzles, gadgets and devices for taking care of AD patients. Books and literature for caregivers are available. Psychologists, Physiotherapists, trained caregivers are part of the staff. Food and snacks are provided. The centre also has a full fledged Memory clinic capable of assessing whether you are sliding into AD and if necessary refer you to psychiatrists or neurologists, support groups etc all under one roof.
Almost everyone who attended the meeting had an opportunity to express their views and share their experiences. Dr Chandrasekar welcomed all. The center was inaugurated by Ansari couple. Dr Modi spoke of Industry – doctor co-operation. He said there are 155 memory clinics in India. Many patients themselves spoke; speeches by caregivers were moving and touching. Sri Mital said that recent studies in UK indicate that spread of AD is in fact seems to be getting arrested.
The centre is effectively networking with NIMS, Asha Hospital, Yashoda hospital, pharma companies, Gaman and others. After lunch we were treated to a special interactive presentation on Preventing falls in the elderly. This was highly useful and a copy is shared here .
Many simple questions were posed by Dr Nanda kishore who gave away small gifts to those who answered.
After a long gap I was happy to meet DR Chandrasekar, Dr Sashidharan, Mrs Bala, Miss Saadiya Hurzuk, Dr Amulya Rajan and others. They were glad to recognize and apprecate my inputs of info to ARDSI-HYD chapter Google Group. I was associated with a small group of people including Dr Chandrasekar and Dr Suvarna Alladi almost a decade ago when the local chapter of ARDSI was set up. Since then I am a life member of this Deccan Chapter of ARDSI.
We have come a long way. But this is small step in right direction. You might have read elsewhere that a similar dementia care centre has been launched in Chennai under the leadership of Dr VS Natarajan. More centers are needed. Nothing is too much. Let us hope care givers are also taken care of.
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