Dementia in old age

I heard Dr. Mary Ganguly, an alumnus of Christian Medical college, Vellore of 1968 batch, well known for  her research on dementia that affect senior citizens, talk about the emerging scene of dementia in developing countries,   at a CME  at the Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences two weeks back. Mary was Anna's class mate for undergraduate studies at CMC, Vellore.

As the survival age of senior citizens advance,about thirty per cent of them are vulnerable to dementing illnesses, that would make their independent living very difficult. Sometimes both, husband and wife would suffer which would be even more demanding. 

What she mentioned in her talk was also about the poor preparedness of the government or NGO's to address this issue. We do not have adequate mental health professionals in India; or community based support system for such a situation; or any active planning to respond to a social challenge that would be a burden on the families and societies.   

 I wonder whether the churches would consider forming an interest group within each congregation to take on board this as a mission. One remedial measure that is often valued to decelerate the process of decline in the mental abilities of senior citizens is, to give them opportunities to be involved  in self care, social interactions, use their creative or professional abilities to the maximum so that they are mentally stimulated, etc. It is difficult to treat dementia, but it is possible to modify the way it progresses by creating opportunities for senior citizens to be involved mentally and socially.

One such provision, is a day care centre where they can come to be socially involved. One congregation that I know initiated this about 20 years back as an activity once a week on a Saturday afternoon. This has become a daily activity, where the volunteers provide an interactive environment for the senior citizens. They do work with their hands, such as making paper bags, knit or weave plastic bags or read to others who have poor vision or help with counselling for those in need or play board games or have animated discussions on topics of current interest. They even visit senior citizens who are home bound or hospitalised. 

I wonder whether we can make this as an activity of each congregation in a Church! What if, we can convert the facilities we have in our church compounds, to offer help for Mother and toddlers, senior citizens, people with special needs, children who are school drop outs, the unemployed, etc.! 

The parable of Jesus of Nazareth of inviting people from the street and by lanes to come to the banquet, when those invited did not turn up, is a good example of the shift of focus we are called to consider while being engaged in  caring- caring for those who are without any means to look after themselves.

Thank you Mary, for your insightful and inspiring presentation. You got Anna and me moving...

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)