The Silent Epidemic: Early-Onset Dementia & the Need for Awareness in India

Dementia, and in particular early onset dementia, is an impending and unspoken issue sweeping through India like a silent storm.

- Priyanka Kapoor

While many associate dementia with old age, what is especially alarming is the increasing number of individuals in their 40s and 50s being afflicted by this unforgiving condition. It often appears that these people are not only faced with a medical diagnosis but are left with a life-altering and devastating problem that needs urgent action and aid from the public.

As has been observed, in the early stages of dementia, there are initial signs that are far too alarming yet quite subtle. Gaps in memory, lack of focus, and having trouble recalling certain words are symptoms that many choose to chalk up to stress or fatigue. From weeks turning into months, and in some instances, years, there is little appreciation for what is transpiring underneath. This delay in diagnosis steals months, if not years, from one's life and severely diminishes the quality of life one can lead. The most jaw-dropping yet shocking reality is that this spans well beyond the individual trying to cope with dementia: it forces them to face the harsh reality of solitude with none to assist and offer help.