I: In a move to provide clinical and support services to persons with dementia and their families, Schizophrenia Research Foundation (SCARF) opened its Centre for Active Ageing on Wednesday, World Alzheimer’s Day, at their campus in Anna Nagar. “Of the 7.7 lakh elderly people living in the city, around 30,000 have been diagnosed with dementia. But hardly any healthcare is delivered to them either in rural or urban areas,” said Thara Srinivasan, director, SCARF.

“Sadly, while life expectancy has increased , quality of life has deteriorated,” she added.

The centre was opened as part of their project DEMCARES - Dementia Care in SCARF, which started in 2015. V.S. Natarajan, who is also known as father of Geriatric Medicine in the state, presided over the event. “Over the last 10 years, I have been seeing many people suffering from memory loss and dementia. What is needed today is early diagnosis and spreading awareness,” he said. “The burden on caregivers of persons with the condition is very high and often ignored in our community. They need to be supported,” he added.

Offers therapies

The centre currently offers therapies and activities to 14 elderly people. The structure of the centre is similar to facilities of ‘Day Hospitals’, which are common abroad.

“Our approach to clients is person-centered as opposed to ‘one size fits all’,” said Sridhar Vaitheswaran, a geriatric psychiatrist. “The aim of these interventions is to improve cognition, communication and quality of life for people with mental health problems. We currently cater to elderly people with mild to moderate dementia. We are hoping to open the centre for all elderly in future,” Mr. Vaitheswaran said.