Old age is a struggle, and it becomes a curse if it is associated with diseases that have an overall impact on not only the quality of life but even day-to-day work. Dementia is one such disease, and alarmingly, almost eight per cent of our elderly population is affected, as per the survey conducted on around 31,000 people. This percentage rises up to nineteen per cent for people over sixty in many countries and is a serious matter. Dementia results in loss of memory and impairment of thinking and judgement, which compromises daily routines. This is further complicated by the fact that India is grappling with other, more serious problems, the biggest of which is its population. While the prevalence of this disease is much higher in many developing countries, their infrastructure for older people and their scientific approach are much more advanced and efficient than our own. Practically, in India, this is taken as a normal routine, especially in rural India. As such, no medical advice is given, with the result that this aggravates with time. The net result is a miserable life for not only the patient but their entire family. There are few psychiatric centres to help diagnose the problem, and the recommended remedies. In developing countries, where there are Government old age homes to take care of the elderly, the general public spends their time helping them fight various ailments; playing tennis or other such games to overcome Parkinson’s disease, playing chess and other focused mental involvement games to help out dementia patients is a routine affair. They call it a time donation, but anything of the sort is missing in India. Certain schools do take their students to homes for the specially-abled, but there is no planned or focused attempt to work something out for these kinds of patients. Increasingly, Indian society should consider giving back something tangible to society.
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