Dementia guidelines to be issued for first time in India
The Society for Alzheimers and Ageing Research (SAAR) is working on guidelines for Dementia, one of the most dreaded diseases among the elderly in India. The guidelines, to be issued on February 24, will be the first set of instructions for the illness in the country. A questionnaire has also been sent to neurologists across the country to share details on the kind of patients they see in their memory-clinics.
The country has over 1.5 crores dementia patients and 5-6,00,000 in the Capital only, and with the current rate of technology use, this number is expected to go up in the near future.
Currently, the number of elderly in the country is ten crores and by 2025 this number will rise to 25 crores, which is equal to the entire European population. In a survey conducted in 2007, the elderly called it the most dreaded disease, even rating it higher than cancer.
“People are scared of losing their identity. From initially forgetting a pen or keys, they eventually forget everything; from family members to their own identity,” says Dr Vikas Dhikav, Department of Neurology, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and general secretary of SAAR.”The idea to come up with these guidelines is to streamline …read more
