Vijayalakshmi Viswanatha, Founder Member, Dementia India Alliance talks about dementia care and the need to provide employment opportunities for underprivileged youth
Dementia is a challenging and insidious condition that gradually erodes a person's memory and cognitive abilities, significantly impacting individuals and their families. In India, where traditional family values prioritise caregiving, many families choose to care for their loved ones with dementia at home.
While this decision is often rooted in love and a sense of duty, it poses a substantial physical and emotional burden on family caregivers.
Family caregivers encounter immense physical strain as they assist patients with everyday tasks such as bathing, dressing, and eating. The emotional toll is equally significant; witnessing the decline of a loved one's mind and personality leads to overwhelming feelings of sadness, frustration, and guilt, resulting in emotional exhaustion.
Additionally, due to caregiving demands, many caregivers experience social isolation, sacrificing their own social lives and personal interests.
A critical challenge arises from the limited availability of trained professional caregivers.
Although families may wish and can also afford to hire help, the demand for trained dementia caregivers far exceeds the supply. While some home care services provide attendants, these individuals typically receive only generic care training without specialised training in dementia care. As the condition progresses, it becomes harder to care for the person with dementia at home and families often face the difficult decision of sending their loved ones to institutions that offer specialised care.
Solving the challenge of providing professional, affordable care to dementia patients at home is possible. This solution is creative and can, if implemented, help to some degree to address another vexing issue of our society—unemployment. Today we are also facing a challenge with an increased number of underprivileged youth in India, many of whom have completed their education up to the 10th or 12th grade.
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Due to caregiving demands, many caregivers experience social isolation, sacrificing their own social lives and personal interests.
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Some of these individuals may have undergone basic nursing skills training but lack specialised dementia care training. To address this issue, we propose offering a short, one-week top-up dementia care course for those with basic nursing skills. For those without such training, we can create a pathway through a nursing programme followed by specialised dementia training.
In both cases, the curriculum will need to include practical exposure to persons with dementia, for effective skill-building.
This initiative would enhance the employability of underprivileged youth—especially if courses are certified by the Government of India—and bridge the professional caregiver gap in dementia care. Additionally, recognising that some trained caregivers may be unable to commit to full-time work due to personal obligations, caregivers could offer short respite care services. This flexible option would provide families with affordable support for a few hours, allowing them to attend events or fulfil other obligations without the burden of long-term care costs.
In India, an estimated 8.8 million people are living with dementia, and projections suggest this number could rise to 17 million by 2036. Given the numbers, caring for a person with dementia can be a viable full-time or part-time vocation for thousands of underprivileged youth seeking employment or opportunities for additional income. By implementing the strategies discussed above, we can address the dual challenges of caregiver shortages and youth unemployment.
Together, we can cultivate a compassionate society that supports individuals with dementia and empowers their caregivers while providing meaningful employment opportunities for our youth.