Archive
Dementia in India (1)
I am touched by the passion with which Swapnil Kishore writes about the plight of Dementia care In India.
A quote from her post is quite poignant – “Awareness is so poor that there is no way to tap the bulk of actual, hands-on caregivers. Besides, caregivers come in various stripes; the ones who most need help are not visible, not tapped, not participating in most dialogues. Patients who need the most help are the ones locked up in houses because of social stigma, or who remain undiagnosed or are labelled as crazy and shunned. So where are their voices, their concerns, their perspectives on what they need most and fastest? Where can we find persons diagnosed early enough to have insight into their dementia who may share their realities so that we can know what “friendliness” means to someone who actually has dementia? Don’t their opinions matter?”
She also observes “But we have a severe shortage of people and resources in the dementia domain. We don’t have the foundation for advanced and ambitious projects like a “dementia-friendly community.”
We need to help in setting up viable education tools to help carers of dementia sufferers in small steps. It is a long way off from achieving the status of western models of care but overstep matters.
We are on the way towards making that first step!
#dementiaindia,#dementiacarers,#dementiaeducation
Childhood obesity
According to the government data the proportion of overweight and obese children in reception year remains at 22.4% (136,586 children) and for year 6 children, it is 34.3% (197,888 children).
Physical activity and childhood obesity: There is a large amount of evidence which suggests that regular activity is related to reduced incidence of many chronic conditions.
Healthier eating habits will encourage a child to loose weight along with regular exercise.
Involving a child in walking the dog, walking or cycling to school and using stairs instead of the lift increases the aerobic activity.
Encouraging a child to join classes which they enjoy such as dancing, swimming or football will make a child active.
Limiting the time in front of the TV or smart phones and tablets allows a child to get enough sleep.
#childhood obesity,#walking,#cyclingtoschool,#walkingtoschool
Dementia in India
In India there are more than 4 million people who have some form of dementia as compared to 44 million in the whole world.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia, a term for conditions that occur when the brain no longer functions properly.
People tend not to read about illnesses which do not affect them. Only when a family member is affected they are are likely to read voraciously connected with dementia. Many of these articles are not relevant to these individuals.
The newspapers in India have a mixed baggage of literature on dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
A detailed analysis of 3 English newspapers and 3 Hindi newspapers by Swapna Kishore showed that Hindi newspapers had a far lower percentage of articles on dementia than English newspapers.
Descriptions like memory-loss, age-related, cognitive decline, cognitive impairment, neurodegenerative disease do not inform lay persons what they mean and how dementia or Alzheimer’s disease symptoms may be similar to or different from old age.
#oldage,#dementia,#alzheimer’s disease,#India
Litter on the roads
Walking everyday is therapeutic as it not only gives you energy, builds your stamina and improves your health but also stimulates your brain.
New thoughts stimulate your brain and you want to jot down or dictate on your smartphone.
Suddenly, you see a used box of burger or a cola bottle or an empty bottle of spirit.
You wonder, couldn’t this person not have picked it and dropped in the nearest bin or taken home?
The answer comes as NO!
So you put them in an empty bag you are carrying to pick up these things on the road – to keep the roads on which you walk clean.
People must develop a sense of responsibility. Feel proud of their locality, city and the country. Make the environment in which they are growing sustainable.
#roadside #litter #environment
New Book Release
When I wrote my anaesthetic books, there was no fear of how would I publish it as I had established publishers lined up for them. It was a niche market and my book was the first of its kind.
But, writing a fiction is a different ball game. You are competing with millions of would be writers who are pitching their book/books.
I read an article by Miranda Beverly-Whittmore which confirmed my beliefs.
a. I decided to write what I wanted and went for it.
b. I realised that I had to care for my characters and get into their mind set, which was a wonderful experience.
c. I finished writing the book and had an excellent editor, who went through the book twice.
d. It was easy – where I was publishing. Createspace for the book format and Kindle for e-version.
e. A bit of computer knowledge also helped in uploading the book.
f. I never forgot to thank my editor and the cover designer wholeheartedly.
Bakul Kumar 