Your Mom needs a smartphone, if she doesn’t have one already! Seniors need to embrace technology that can help them to stay connected, with friends, relatives, maybe their doctors, or assistants, or even emergencies. Picture sharing, chats with jokes, reminiscing and gossip, video calls with friends and grandchildren, reminders, and games are all useful in keeping them occupied and in good spirits. This may help in staying away from apathy and depression.

It is recommended to use a large screen phone, preferably one that is light weight. You do need to download and install an app like Senior Homescreen from Google play, (or equivalent) which will create large icons that are easy to use. Just configure the required buttons, removing any they would not use because having too many buttons is confusing. Change the font setting to the largest possible. Then present the phone to your Mom, Dad, Granny or Grandfather. Remember it may not help for husband and wife to share a single phone, as their interests and social circles may differ.

The most difficult part may be getting the senior to use the phone. Many refuse to use one claiming they do not know how to use it, find it difficult, or don’t need it. Gently brushing away these protests will hopefully lead to a gradual acceptance of the gadget, and then usage will soon become a habit. Seniors need to embrace technology and make it their friend. The smartphone is important for staying connected, for social reasons, for information, and for entertainment. Many seniors just don’t know they need it! Setting up a video call with a friend could be a good way to break the refusal barrier!

Help may be needed for setting up the phone, and guidance and tips on the usage are also required. Seniors may find it difficult or frustrating to learn an entirely new set of skills at their age. They would not like to be “taught” and may be reluctant to ask for help. So information should always be offered in friendly way, without making it sound like advice, and not making it seem that not knowing how to delete a text is stupid. Every gadget has a learning curve. Its like potty training, only less messy and much quicker, and you might not remember the time and patient efforts that got you out of diapers, but your Mom sure would!

Bonus: You won't have to share your phone with them anymore. Win win!

Share your comments and experiences with seniors and smart phones.

This year I attended the International Dementia Symposium at Bangalore on the 14th to 16th of September. I have have been a participant at this yearly event held by ARDSI (Alzheimer's and related Diseases Society of India) for the last few years, but missed last year because of another conference. This year amongst various interesting and innovative things, there were two that were really noteworthy. First the presentation by Swapna Kishore and Sowmya Hegde, which highlighted the caregiver experiences of dementia diagnosis.

Second was the release of a book "Handling Alzheimer's with courage" by Wing Cmdr Sabharwal, a caregiver for his wife. After returning from Bangalore I read the book and found it very well written. There is very little literature available that talks about the dementia journey in the Indian context, and this book fills that need very well indeed. A Hindi version of the book was released in Hyderabad by the Governor of Telangana on the of 21st September. Hopefully there will also be a Gujarati version available soon. Keep watching this space!!

The event is open to all. You can find out more here

The elderly are at greater risk for criminal acts. Fraility and the inability to put up a physical opposition to an attack is one of the reasons. Decreased attention to safety measures, and a tendency to trust indiscriminately may also be factor. Limited social interaction, which gives the attacker confidence that they will not be found out soon makes the elderly an attractive target. They are also at a risk from fraudsters who promise great investment deals or other financial scams.

Society needs to create support for the elderly so that they do not fall prey to such evil machinations in their golden years. Our living arrangements need to be neighbourhoods in the real meaning of the word - places where those who live near to each other are concerned about the well being of others who live in their locality. Society needs to be inclusive of the elderly who may no longer be able to participate in the same activities that they pursued during their 40s and 50s.

Often people tell me that such problems of the elderly are a western issue, since we have joint families in India. The truth is that even in India we have a large number of elderly who face a variety of issues on which they need help. Not every person has family members to help them maintain their quality of life in the latter years. Believing in the warm and fuzzy idea of loving and caring multi-generational Indian families, where all pains of the elderly are attended to, is like an ostrich hiding its head in the sand. Awareness must precede action. This article, "How safe are senior citizens in Ahmedabad" on crimes against the elderly in Ahmedabad is an eye opener for us all.

Read this in Gujarati

Dementia can strike anyone. When people are not aware about dementia, they are unable to recognise it when the symptoms appear. In order to increase awareness about dementia, I have made a small video in Gujarati and shared it on YouTube and WhatsApp. I hope that this brief introduction will encourage people to learn more about dementia. Please share the video and help spread the word.

After watching the video you can get more information in Gujarati from my book, "Chitadu Chorayu". I am attempting to provide as much information as possible through this website, and have also undertaken the task of creating detailed videos about dementia. An english version of this video is also in the works.

Management and planning are important parts of caregiving in dementia. In order to have a good quality of life, and plan and manage well, it is important to have an understanding of the underlying diseases. This is not really a "medical" understanding, but more an understanding of behaviour and cognitive changes.

Please do send me your comments on the video by email at care@varishta.org or use the contact form on the website.

I still remember with dread the time my father went to Mumbai. My father was a senior surgeon, who had worked in Britain, traveled across the globe and then settled in Patan, a small town 120 kms north of Ahmedabad in Gujarat. At the time that I speak of he already had Alzheimer’s it was just that we did not know it yet. His occasional slowness of thought and inability to grasp some concepts and often odd remarks were dismissed as the quirks of an elderly man.  His brother’s wife, my aunt, was in hospital, and it was decided that he should go and visit her in Mumbai. My mother was not up to the travel so he went alone. He was driven to Ahmedabad by his driver who put him on the train to Mumbai, he was met by one of my cousins at the station.

On the return, I was traveling back from Mumbai to Vadodara on a flight that was leaving shortly after his, so we met at the airport, where he was brought by a cousin. We spent some time together, I was planning to ensure he boarded comfortably, then, as luck would have it, his flight was delayed by an hour, and mine was now leaving first. I still remember being worried, pointing out to him where his flight would leave from, where the announcement would be made, and repeating the instructions before boarding my flight.

Daddy got back to Ahmedabad and reached home fine. But it was years later, years after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, a few years after he passed away, and only after I left my job and devoted time to learning about Alzheimer’s and dementia, that the enormity and the risk of the situation hit me. Anything, anything, could have happened. That could have been the last time I saw my father. He could have just wandered out of the airport, he could have disembarked from the train mid journey! If I had known, I would have taken measures, ensured he travelled with an attendant, but in the absence of diagnosis and a lack of understanding of the disease, we were unaware of the huge risk.

Awareness is the first line of action in the battle against dementia, and I am a foot soldier in that fight.
Wandering can happen at any stage in a person with dementia who is able to walk. Read more about it in the Help Sheet on Wandering

Early diagnosis helps those who have Alzheimer's disease and other related dementias. But there are many obstacles to getting to this diagnosis. From the family or person's reluctance to discuss it with the doctor, to the doctor's reluctance to diagnose. Some of this reluctance stems from the feeling that the diagnosis is like a sentence that confirms the disease, and a feeling that once a diagnosis is obtained nothing more can be done. This is a misconception. There are drug interventions, non-drug therapies, arrangements for emotional and practical support that would help maintain better quality of life as the disease progresses. Remember the disease will still be there, whether it is diagnosed or not. What will happen without a diagnosis is that proper planning for and management of the situation will not take place .

The myths and fears that delay or prevent people from consulting a doctor are discussed in this article. A survey indicates that many do not go to a doctor because a diagnosis would indicate their "life is over."

This irrational fear needs to be dealt with. We cannot put our heads in the sand like proverbial ostriches and wish the ongoing storm away. An early diagnosis that leads to knowledge and information will be a boon for managing the difficult times that dementia brings.

"Why did he get dementia?" After a diagnosis this is a common question asked and the possible reasons are discussed at length amongst the family with various causes being suggested. Is it because of his diabetes? Maybe because of his dietary habits? And the cruelest of all these, "it happened because he never bothered to exercise his brain." The reality is that in most cases where there is dementia due to Alzheimer's disease, Lewy bodies, or Frontotemporal dementia, there is no such cause that can be really pinpointed.

Instead of searching for a cause after getting a diagnosis, energies are better directed to understanding the situation and the prognosis, and planning for care and support. Trying to attribute a cause is more like assigning blame, and will not help the situation but only create feelings of guilt.

This line from the Association of Frontotemporal Degeneration sums it up: The three C’s: I didn’t cause it. I can’t change it; and I can’t control it.