To Understand and be Understood

About one crore Indians over 60 years old have dementia. But the availability of services does not match the demand

- Sridhar Vaitheeswaran & R. Thara

DEMENTIA is a generic term to describe an illness of the brain which impairs mental processes such as memory, speech, orientation, planning, organisational ability, and behaviour and personality. Many diseases can cause dementia. It may be easy to understand by drawing an analogy with fever. Many diseases, such as typhoid, dengue and malaria can cause fever. Similarly, many diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, vascular disease, Parkinson's disease, Lewy Body disease can cause dementia. Depending on the disease causing dementia, the symptoms and the course of dementia can vary. Worldwide, Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia, closely followed by vascular disease and Lewy body disease.

In Alzheimer's disease, symptoms often begin with a loss of memory of recent events, such as what they had for breakfast, who they met the previous day, or where they placed their belongings. In contrast, long-term memories, including their childhood and younger days, remain relatively intact for a long time. Gradually, other brain functions, such as speech and recognition, along with long-term memories, may also fade. This loss of cognitive abilities can affect the person's ability to function independently. The person will need more help with activities such as cooking, driving, or managing their bank accounts, which they were previously able to perform well. As the person with the lived experience of dementia becomes more dependent, their family members and the carers need to provide more support, which can potentially increase the carer's and societal burden.