The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Second childhood can be fun at day care centres

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Friday, Jul 18, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Second childhood can be fun at day care centres

Staff Reporter

— Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

READY FOR NEW BONDS: Participants at the inauguration of Dementia Day Care Centre for Elders and training of anganwadi workers in day care for elders in Bangalore on Wednesday.

BANGALORE: Rama Ramachandra spends the better part of her day looking after her octogenarian mother Vimalabai who suffers from dementia. Besides being tough and hectic, she feels that having to spend all day at home makes her irritable, which is why a day care centre for dementia patients seems like a novel idea.

“This is an excellent government initiative and will be an excellent change for her. Even if we can’t reverse the effect on her nerves, it will help arrest further deterioration,” says B.M. Ramachandra, her husband.

A pilot initiative by the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) in partnership with Nightingale’s Medical Trust to provide a day care centre for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, patients will bring reprieve to many such families struggling to take care of their elderly. The facility was inaugurated at Sandhya Kiran, Shanthinagar, on Tuesday by Minister for Women and Child Development P.M. Narendra Swamy. After the inauguration, training sessions were conducted for anganwadi workers to teach them about handling elderly persons.

About 20 anganwadis will be used as day care centres for the elderly; a model which they hope will be replicated in all other units.

Shalini Rajneesh, Principal Secretary, Department of Women and Child Development, and K.R. Srinivasa, Special Commissioner, BBMP, were present.

“This is an excellent public-private partnership and is crucial because even we will need it once we become old. We are trying this with anganwadis to see if we can do more for the elderly,” Mr. Swamy said. He said that he would extend this programme to other districts so more people could benefit from this.

The Nightingale’s Medical Trust, which maintains the elders’ helpline, estimates that about 30,000 dementia patients live in Bangalore.

To cater to the needs of the elderly, the décor of the rooms was simple and retro in taste, and several volunteers are engaged to take care of them. With carom boards, television sets and beds, the trust has tried to give it a homely feel.

“We do not believe that people should be removed from their homes. This is only a change for them to keep them happy and therefore healthy. This facility will be as much a boon for patients as it is for their families,” said Radha S. Murthy, managing trustee.

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