Date:21/09/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/09/21/stories/2006092121650300.htm

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Coping with memory loss

C. Maya

Rate of dementia in the population of 55 years and above in the city is about 3.9 pc

World commemorates 100 years of Alzheimer's on September 21

Important to distinguish memory loss from ordinary age-related forgetfulness

Thiruvananthapuram: "It is a raging battle within my mind. Why can I not remember? When I can remember each and every incident and anecdote about my childhood friend who died recently, why do I find it difficult to remember my cousin who visited me yesterday?"

Four years ago, K.S. Menon, a retired management consultant, walked into the Dementia clinic at Sri Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) and told the doctor, "I think I have dementia." A series of tests done at the hospital confirmed his suspicions.

Was he upset? What went through his mind when he was told that his memory lapses would progressively aggravate?

"I have been reading and teaching all my life and have a broader perspective of events and people than many others. So I could relate my memory lapses to my declining mental faculties. I am not upset, but I seem to have lost all my confidence," 79-year-old Mr. Menon said, furtively brushing a stray tear that rolled down his cheek.

As the world commemorates 100 years of Alzheimer's disease on September 21, for many like Menon and their families, life is a daily struggle, coping with the demands of dementia. The message on the Centenary year of Alzheimer's is, `No Time to Lose.'

Given the rapidly ageing population in the State, indeed there is no time to lose, says Meera Pattabi, Secretary of the city chapter of Alzheimer's and Related Disorders Society of India (ARDSI).

One must generate more awareness about Alzheimer's and related disorders among the public, create more social support systems and above all, persuade the Government to equip its health system to cope with an increasing burden of elderly with dementia, she points out.

It was the stress, trauma and the feeling of total helplessness that the family lived through for ten years, caring for her father who had Alzheimer's, that persuaded Ms. Pattabi to set up the city chapter of ARDSI here in 1998. Since then, its members have leaned to draw strength and courage in caring for their loved ones with dementia.

The group has been extending support, guidance and counselling to the families and care givers on how to care for demented individuals. "We need to understand the disease better, for, the changes in behaviour and personality that an individual with dementia displays could be misconstrued, leading at times to embarrassing situations," points out Ms. Pattabi.