In spite of getting good education, we use extremely dangerous and derogatory terms .The problem is nowadays people have become more and more reliant on search engines for diagnosis and treatment of medical disorders. Sadly some people use the term madness for behavioral changes seen in dementia and this is becoming common. I agree sometimes in Dementia many patients see, hear, and smell things that aren’t there—or delusions exist, such as suspecting children of wanting to harm them and are known as Dementia related Psychosis [DRP]. But not all with Dementia will have DRP. This is very important to know.
A study was published in The American Journal of Psychiatry according to which “Psychosis was reported in 41% of patients with Alzheimer’s disease, including delusions in 36% and hallucinations in 18%. The incidence of psychosis increased progressively over the first 3 years of observation, after which the incidence seemed to plateau. Psychotic symptoms tended to last for several months but became less prominent after 1 year”.
One important take away from this and other studies is that instead of assuming our parents or others have Dementia, that too with psychosis, it is important to visit a government health facility near you where causes of this behavior will be traced and treatment will be early and timely. Psychosis can be triggered by medication, an undiagnosed infection, a change in routine, or a new environment [moving to a new housing colony, or a new country]. It is very important that dementia does not remain untreated due to lack of investigations as psychosis can become more common as dementia advances, visual hallucinations are sometimes seen as an earlier symptom of Lewy body dementia and Parkinson’s-related dementia. We should desist from doing investigations like MRIs, PET scans on our own.
During my interaction I have seen patients who do not visit doctors in particular geriatrics getting Dementia related psychosis earlier and rapidly deteriorating control over bowel movements and urine. Yes, unconditional love is important while we treat such patients but we should not forget the medical part and desist from playing with lives of our dear ones by using search engines as standard protocol for diagnosing and treatment of any medical condition including dementia.
Sponsored Vacations: I know many children take care of parents and take them to good resorts, but all children cannot afford taking them to luxurious resorts. My idea is good resorts in Kashmir at Gulmarg, Pahalgam or good hotels near Dal lake, Nishat, Shalimar offering free vacations to senior citizens on regular basis. Our senior citizens will enjoy getting closer to nature, paying attention to their thoughts, establishing connect between mind and body. You can well imagine eternal joy generated during these enjoyable vacations.
Vacations can be sponsored by NGOs, philanthropists, Banks and government. In this regard Gauri Kaul foundation is doing pioneering work; I sincerely hope more organizations and individuals embark on this pious mission.
(Author is a medical doctor and can be mailed at: [email protected])
