Alzheimer's Disease in India Consultancy Service

If you have a project, contact us for advice at hendi.lingiah@gmail.com

Join our Family Caregivers, Volunteers and Care Professionals on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Practical Nursing Care for people with Alzheimer's Disease



Caregiver Tips: Washing and Bathing Someone wirh Alzheimer's Disease
Helping someone with Alzheimer's take a bath or shower can present a number of challenges. It can promote anxiety and embarrassment for previously independent people. Here are some caregiver tips to make washing and bathing more relaxing.

Preparing for a Hospital Admission
Preparing for a Hospital Admission. Advice for Alzheimer's Caregivers & Hospital Staff

Sundowning, Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia
Sundowning is the term used to describe the increased confusion and agitation that occurs later in the day and evening and sometimes into the night. I suggest some causes and ways of dealing with sundowning.

Restraint Use in Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease
Restraint use in dementia and Alzheimer's disease


http://alzheimers.about.com/od/practicalcare/Practical_Nursing_Care_for_People_with_Alzheimers_Disease.htm

First Dementia Care Centre in India, Kerala.



Programme Officer
A.R.D.S.I,

Dementia Respite Care Centre

(Harmony Home)
Kottappady, Nr. Guruvayoor, Thrissur, Kerala, India
Telephone No- +91 487 2558524
Helpline- +91 984 619 8473

The first Dementia care centre which provide Round the clock care started its functioning on 27th August 2005 by Alzheimers and Related Disorders Society of India(ARDSI), the national Alzheimer's association in India. This is the first one of this kind in India where round the clock care is providing to the people with dementia.

This center is located near to Kottapady junction in between Guruvayoor and Kunnamkulam state highway(4 kms from Kunnamkulam town or 2 kms from Guruvayoor town)


This was a challenging initiative of Alzheimer’s and Related Disorders Society of India (ARDSI) .Here provides high quality care to the people with dementia. Now this is a model care centre in the country and is providing guidance to the care givers, family members, professionals in the health care field and the public.


The centre is functioning in an old bungalow surrounded by 8 acres of land in a very calm place away from all the disturbances of the town. Here maintains a homely atmosphere which helps the clients to feel they are in their own home.

In addition to respite care it provides Day care and Long term care services.

These are the main Attracation of the centre :

Round the clock care
Medical care
Occupational and physiotherapy
Group activities
Information and counseling
Day Care

Range of activities

Prayer
Listening to music
Reading newspaper
Watching TV
Gardening
Reminiscence therapy
Aroma therapy
Games and picnics
Interacting with children
Rearing pets
Drawing and painting

Food (both Veg. And NV) shall be provided

Morning tea/coffee
Breakfast
Lunch
Evening tea and snacks
Dinner

Medical care
Medical Officer
Visiting Psychiatrist
Social Worker
Ayurveda Physician
Neurologist and clinical Psychologist etc. shall provide necessary medical help.

For more information contact:

Programme Officer

ARDSI National Office

P.B.No.53,Kunnamkulam P.O,Thrissur




Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Preliminary study on the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease in Kerala, India.

Following is the report published in "The Hindu" National Daily regarding the preliminary finding of the research study by ICMR in association with CSRMS and ARDSI.:

Alzheimer’s disease was the most common cause of dementia in the elderly population and around 3 per cent of elderly people have dementia. This was the preliminary finding of a study done on a random sampling of elderly people over 65 years in Thrissur district.

Out of the total number of dementia cases in the study, 63 per cent was caused by Alzheimer’s disease while 30 per cent was bracketed as vascular dementia, which was caused by blocks in the blood supply to the brain. Diagnosis by exclusion was the tool used to arrive at a conclusion.


Loss of memory was generally categorised as dementia. While dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease is irreversible, other types of dementia can be arrested with proper treatment and care.


The study was a programme taken up by the Kochi-based Centre for Survey Research and Management Studies as part of an Indian Council of Medical Research project. Dr. Jacob Roy, chairman of the Alzheimer’s and Related Disorders Society of India (ARDSI), psychiatrist Dr. S. Shaji, and bio-statistician Dr. T. Sugathan were the investigators in the project.


The field sampling by Dr. Shaji was a combination of rural and urban population, which included four panchayats, three municipalities and the Corporation area. Punnayurkulam, Orumanayur, Chelakkara, and Payanannur were the four rural areas while Chalakudy, Kodungallor and Irinjalakuda were the three municipalities.


880 people underwent diagnosis in the rural area while in the urban area it was 1320. According to Dr. Shaji, there was high incidence of dementia in Chalakudy with 6 per cent, while in most other places the numbers indicated around 3 per cent. It was also found that more women were affected by dementia, he said. A similar study was done around two years ago in some of the wards of the Kochi Corporation area, which had revealed a similar conclusion. At that time, it was found that 53 per cent of dementia cases were because of Alzheimer’s disease.

Source : http://www.hindu.com/2007/10/22/stories/2007102261020300.htm


No aging in India Alzheimer's, the bad family, and other moderne things.

No aging in India Alzheimer's, the bad family, and other modern things

de Lawrence Cohen; NetLibrary, Inc.

Type :Ressource Internet
Langue :Anglais
Éditeur :Berkeley : University of California Press, ©1998.
Éditions : 5 éditions
ISBN :0585068801 9780585068800
OCLC:44957506
Sujets associés : Aging -- Anthropological aspects. | Ethnology -- India -- Vārānasi (Uttar Pradesh) | Aging -- Anthropological aspects -- India -- Vārānasi (Uttar Pradesh) | Plus de sujets ...
Références bibliographiques : Citer cet ouvrage | Exporter dans EndNote | Exporter dans RefWorks

Thanmathra, award winning indian movie on Alzheimer's Disease

Thanmathra

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Thanmathra
Directed by Blessy
Produced by Raju Mathew
Written by Blessy
Starring Mohanlal,
Jagathy Sreekumar, Meera Vasudev,
Prathap Pothan,
Nedumudi Venu ,
Arjun Lal
Music by Mohan Sithara
Distributed by Century Films
Release date(s) 2005
Running time 2 hrs 30 min.
Language Malayalam
IMDb profile

Thanmathra (Malayalam:Molecule) (2005) is a Malayalam film directed by Blessy which portrays the effects of Alzheimer's disease on the life of an individual and his family. The film bagged five Kerala state film awards for the Best Film, Best Actor, Best Director, Best Screenplay and a special mention for the debutant actor Arjun Lal.

Contents

Story

Ramesan Nair (Mohanlal) is a Kerala government secretariat employee, cocooned in his own small and happy world. An honest and sincere man, Ramesan's family consists of his loving wife Lekha (Meera Vasudev), son Manu (Arjun Lal) who is a plus-two student, and daughter Manju (Baby Niranjana), a primary school student. His biggest ambition is to see that his son gets into the IAS (Indian Administrative Service), something he himself had failed to achieve despite being a brilliant student. Manu is a very loving son and an intelligent student who shares a strong emotional bond with his father. All in all, they form the very picture of loving family, with a bright future.


However, fate has other ideas. Ramesan starts to develop problems with his memory. What starts as commonplace omissions and absentmindedness, quickly grows into handicapping cognitive and behavioral impairments.


The first time we notice this is when Ramesan misplaces a very important office file at his home, inside the refrigerator. One day he arrives in office after buying a bag of vegetables and starts behaving as if he had reached home after his office hours. He begins acting strangely in the office, as if he has lost his sense of time and place. He is taken to the doctor by his family and close friend, Joseph (Jagathy Sreekumar).


In the hospital, Ramesan is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, a disease which causes a gradual loss of memory and cognitive abilities. The news comes as a grave shock for the happy family and turns their world upside down. The family is devastated by the sad news, but tries to adjust to the situation with a lot of determination underscored by strong emotional bonds. How they cope up with the trauma, insecurity and uncertainty caused by Ramesan's plight, forms the gist of the movie.


Director Blessy has brought out the manner in which the dreaded disease entangles Ramesan in its vice-like grip, with a few deft directorial strokes. These snapshots are devastating. One scene depicts Rameshan forgetting to switch on the scooter; another has Ramesan using his son’s toothbrush. Then there is the scene that shows Ramesan forgetting the way to his house. In a scene which is rather unusual for the staid malayalee, there is a love-making scene, where Ramesan gets distracted by a lizard on the wall. In a few fabulous frames, Blessy conveys to the audience the malignancy and horror of the disease.

Thanmathra is a must-watch film both for the serious student of films as well as the ordinary movie-buff who likes to watch good and clean films. A socially relevant theme has been brilliantly told intertwined with a portrayal of strong family bonds, strongly supported by excellent performances from the main actors.


Performances

The movie illustrates one of the finest performances by Mohanlal who is a spontaneous actor and an acting genius in his own right. He won the state best actor award for his unparalleled depiction of a middle aged man in the throes of a crippling disability. The movie was advertised as a return of the actor from a super-hero image which he had cultivated with a string of movies, back to that of an average man. The actor has taken full advantage of this opportunity to display a superb performance.

Newbie Arjun Lal who plays Mohanlal's son, is the surprise package of the movie, giving a performance which stands above his years of experience. His performance won him a special mention from the state film awards jury. The performance of Nedumudi Venu, who plays the role of Mohanlal's father, is also excellent. Meera Vasudev, a newcomer to Malayalam movies, plays a great supporting role and does justice to her character. Jagathy Sreekumar is in his elements as usual, and fits into the role of Joseph, as if it were tailor-made for him.


The bulk of the movie is carried on the shoulders of the three protagonists - the father (Mohanlal), the grand-father (Nedumudi Venu) and the son(Arjun Lal). It is very touching to watch the strong ties between them helping the family to cope with the disaster. In this age of the Internet and instant relationships, it is soothing to watch a story that rides on the strong ties among three successive generations.

Cast

Mohanlal - Ramesan Nair, a middle-class government servant who is a role-model family man and persona.

Meera Vasudev - Lekha, Ramesan's devoted wife who stands by him throughout his ordeal.

Arjun Lal - Manu, Ramesan's brilliant son whose life's aim is to get into the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), to fulfil his father's dreams.

Nedumudi Venu - Ramesan's father, a hapless spectator to the progressive mental degeneration of his son.

Jagathy Sreekumar - Ramesan's colleague and trusted friend.




Awards

The film Won

  • Best Regional Film (Malayalam) - National Film Awards 2006

The film won five Kerala State Film Awards for the year 2005.

These are:

The film won eight Asianet Film Awards 2006 for the year 2005. These are:

External links

Best Malayalam Film - National film award 2005



MOVIE AVAILABLE IN DVD WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES AT THE FOLLOWING LINK :



Agressivity in Alzheimer's Disease



Aggression is common with Alzheimer's


Introduction
Aggressive behaviors may be verbal (shouting, name-calling) or physical (hitting, pushing). These behaviors can occur suddenly, with no apparent reason, or can result from a frustrating situation. Whatever the case, it is try to understand what is causing the person to become angry or upset.

Possible causes
Aggression can be caused by many factors including physical discomfort, environmental factors and poor communication. If the person is aggressive, consider the following:

Physical discomfort
Is the person tired because of inadequate rest or sleep?

Are medications causing side effects?

Is the person unable to let you know he or she is experiencing pain?

Environmental factors
Is the person overstimulated by loud noises, an overactive environment or physical clutter?

Does the person feel lost ?

Poor communication
Are you asking too may questions or making too many statements at once?

Are your instructions simple and easy to understand?

Is the person picking up on your own stress and irritability?

Are you being negative or critical?

How to respond

Try to identify the immediate cause. Think about what happened right before the reaction that may have triggered the behavior.

Focus on feelings, not the facts. Try not to concentrate on specific details; rather, consider the person's emotions. look for the feelings behind the words.

Don't get angry or upset. Don’t take the behavior personally. The person isn’t necessarily angry with you. Be positive and reassuring. Speak slowly in a soft tone.

Limit distractions. Examine the person's surroundings, and adapt them to avoid similar situations.

Try a relaxing activity. Use music, massage or exercise to help soothe the problem.

Shift the focus to another activity. The immediate situation or activity may have unintentionally caused the aggressive response. Try something different.

Decrease level of danger. Assess the level of danger — for yourself and the person with Alzheimer’s. You can often avoid harm by simply stepping back and standing away from the person. If the person is headed out of the house and onto the street, be more assertive.

Avoid using restraint or force. Unless the situation is serious, avoid physically holding or restraining the person. He or she may become more frustrated and cause personal harm.

Source: http://www.alz.org/living_with_alzheimers_aggression.asp