On 16th February, 2019 Samvedna Senior Care Foundation conducted its Support Group meeting for caregivers of dementia patients. A group of caregivers from in and around Gurgaon and Delhi came to attend the meeting. The topic of discussion for the meeting was “Importance of early detection and intervention and managing challenging behavior”. The session was opened by Dr. Jayashree Dasgupta, Project Director, Samvedna Senior Care.
Understanding and coping with dementia caregiving stress
Samvedna Senior Care has been conducting dementia support group meetings for families regularly for the past 5 years. As a part of our interactions we have come across many caregivers and heard their experience in handling their loved ones. Caring for an individual with dementia can be challenging and at times it can also be overwhelming. Frustration and stress is a normal and valid emotional response to many of the difficulties faced by a caregiver. While some irritation may be a part of everyday life as a caregiver, feeling extreme frustration can have serious consequences for the caregiver or the person they care for. It negatively impacts the caregiver’s physical health and may lead to some serious consequences.
Understanding Dementia and importance of cognitive stimulation
This article is the first in our series on dementia care, written by Dr Jayashree Dasgupta, MPhil, PhD, Neuropsychology, NIMHANS.
What is Dementia ?
Dementia is an umbrella term used to describe a group of symptoms where there is a gradual death of brain cells that eventually lead to problems in thinking and behavior. There are many types of dementia and this is the leading cause of disability amongst the elderly. In fact, globally, there are about 50 million people with dementia and in India alone, there are over 4 million people with the disease. Staggeringly, one person develops dementia every 3 seconds which means 10 million new cases develop every year.
Discussion on caregiver stress and coping strategies at support group meeting
Samvedna Senior Care Foundation held it Dementia Support Group meeting for family members of persons with dementia on January 5th , 2019. The event was held at our senior centre in Gurgaon. Dr. Jayashree Dasgupta, MPhil, PhD, Neuropsychology, NIMHANS, presided over the meeting, the topic for this meeting was “Caregiver stress and coping strategies”.
5 ways to build a good rapport with your elderly loved one’s attendant
When an elderly member of the family gets diagnosed with a chronic ailment which might require long term care, one has to plan the caregiving responsibilities. One needs to rope in all the support available, professional caregivers/attendants can be of tremendous help if hired through reliable professional organizations. Hiring the right attendant and then building a rapport with her/him goes a long way in helping manage the elderly’s care. A good helping hand can free you up to let you take care of your personal and professional commitments, health and socializing needs and overall help reduce caregiving effort.
8 tips for dealing with winter blues in elderly
Dark mornings and even darker evenings with chilly grey days in between means winter is here — and with the cold season comes the winter blues.
If you or your loved one struggle with the “winter blues” you know how difficult it can be to make it through the holiday season. Although winter does bring in the festive holidays it also means less sunlight, shorter days and colder weather. As a result it leads to reduced physical activity, more sleep, less interest in activities, social withdrawal, unhealthy eating and a general sense of feeling low.
Brain disorders caused by alcohol misuse
WHO recently reported that India’s alcohol consumption has doubled in a decade. Rises in heavy drinking among all classes and backgrounds indicate a potential surge in reporting of alcohol-related brain damage (ARBD). If someone you know is a heavy drinker, displays signs of mental confusion, difficulty walking, and has vision problems, they might be already be affected. In this post, we talk about brain disorders caused by alcohol misuse, and the signs to look out for. Read More
5 reasons why you need trained attendants and nurses for dementia and elder care
As we age, our dependency and hence need requirement for support increases. Dependency can be physical, social, psychological, or/ and emotional and it can be even more critical if a senior develops any form of disease which has an impact on their cognitive abilities, for eg, dementia or any other related disorder. Under such circumstances, our elderly loved one needs a helping hand from a person with compassion and sensitivity to understand the disease and its related symptoms.
Note from our Founder: Celebrating 5 years of Samvedna!
When I set out to start Samvedna in early 2013, honestly, I had a hazy picture of what I wanted to do. The only thing that was clear to me was to make a difference in the lives of seniors, break the mundane routine and do something about their loneliness and social isolation. The idea of an activity centre, a platform for seniors to socialize and also channelize their energy in a positive way, was thus born. Soon we realized that a lot of seniors cannot come to the centre because of mobility issues, hence the home services were developed.
Samvedna Senior Care turns 5!
This month Samvedna Senior Care completed 5 years. Here are some pictures from our celebration of this beautiful landmark in our journey, made possible by our vibrant members and compassionate team! Many more to come 