The Need:
> Over 6 million people are affected by dementia in India. This number is growing at 3% annually.
> Less than 10 residential care facilities exclusively for people with dementia across India.
> Cost of Dementia Care is not affordable for middle class Indians due to high patient-caregiver ratio and no subsidies from the government.
- There is a dire need for quality residential dementia care in the country which should be easily accessible and affordable.
What we intend to do:
Nightingales Medical Trust has successfully established a pilot project in Kolar in association with ETCM Hospital, where the use of simple technologies and modifications to the environment have helped bring the cost of care down by 40%. We would like to establish more such centres in different parts of the country in collaboration with like-minded organizations to make quality dementia care affordable and accessible.
How you can help:
> If you have unused or unutilised hospital wards or old age homes and are willing to offer it to us, we will renovate, equip and furnish it, and manage it effectively. A revenue-sharing arrangement can be agreed upon.
> Put us in touch with an organization that may be willing to collaborate
> Donate towards the setup cost
> Assist us in planning and executing the project
The Need:
There are over 150 Old Age Homes in Bangalore. Elders living in such homes are usually restricted to their rooms and have minimum exposure to physical, social and cognitive activities. Active Ageing programs at Old Age Homes help improve their quality of life.
What we intend to do:
> NMT’s Mobile Active Ageing unit comprising of trained staff along with a well-equipped vehicle visit old age homes in Bangalore to conduct Physical, Social and Cognitive activities for the residents.
> The program is conducted free-of-cost
> We have been able to reach out to a few old age homes with our limited resources. We wish to expand these services to cover all Old Age Homes in Bangalore.
How you can help:
> Put us in touch with Old Age Homes that may be willing to collaborate.
> Donate towards the purchase and equipping of a vehicle for this purpose.
> Sponsor the running cost of this project.
The Need:
> Over 6 million people are affected by dementia in India. This number is expected to reach 7.4 million by 2030. Though in India, families are the primary carers, in the advanced stage of the disease, residential care centres play a significant role. It’s estimated that about 20% of persons with dementia require institutional care. Old Age Homes and Hospitals are generally not equipped to handle persons with dementia. Professional and trained caregivers are difficult to find and institutional care support is also woefully lacking and hence the family suffers more than the patients.
> Existing residential dementia care facilities follow the design of a typical hospital or nursing home where people with dementia are housed in a multi-storied building with restrictions on movement. In such environmental conditions, with restricted movement and other challenges due to the infrastructure, person-centric approach specific to residents' cultures and lifestyles may not be feasible, which could aggregate behavioural changes.
> While there is still no cure for dementia through allopathic medicine, an attempt should be made to explore how mixing of allopathic medicine with traditional Indian medicine could improve the quality of living of people with dementia.
> Cost of dementia care is generally not affordable for middle class Indians due to high patient- caregiver ratio and no subsidies from the government. In the absence of government funded support systems, unlike other countries, the cost of taking care of persons with dementia is met by their families. This puts enormous pressure on the family. Therefore, there is a big need to develop an effective support system suitable for India which should be affordable without compromising on the quality of care.
What we intend to do:
Nightingales Medical Trust is planning to establish a unique and ambitious project - a Dementia Village. The first phase of the project will have facility to take care of 300 elders with dementia. Based upon our experiences in running residential dementia care facilities since 2010, the architectural design of the proposed village would be created in such a way that residents can lead normal and independent lives to the maximum possible without compromising on their safety. Residents will be segregated based on social, cultural and linguistic backgrounds and this approach is expected to minimize behavioural issues with minimal medications. Dementia care experts based at NMT’s main centre in Bangalore would monitor the functioning of the project and the patients at the Village through Tele-medicine solutions. The efficacy of traditional Indian medicine would be explored along with allopathic treatment. Training would be an important facet of this, and every year about 1000 caregivers are expected to be trained. It is aimed that the cost of care at the Village would be 50% lesser compared to residential care facilities in Bangalore.
How you can help:
> Help us get 7-10 acres of land suitable for this project, within 60 min from Bangalore. If the land is provided free of cost, co-branding is possible.
> Put us in touch with an organization that may be willing to collaborate
> Assist us in planning and executing the project
> Donate towards the project cost
The Need:
In a City like Bangalore, elders belonging to lower socio economic group face several challenges such as multiple health problems, loneliness, financial insecurity etc. They are usually neglected and illtreated by their children. When their children are not able to support them, they are forced to work despite various physical disabilities.
What we intend to do:
> To help such elders, NMT has established a Day Care Centre called Sandhya Kirana.
> At this centre elders spend the day doing various activities. Our services include nutritious meals, income generation activities, skill development, recreation, periodic health check-ups and treatment. The elders enjoy an active social life and live a life of dignity.
> In view of the growing demand, we wish to establish three more such Sandhya Kiranas in the South, West and East zones of Bangalore.
How you can help:
> If you have a suitable building and are willing to offer it rent-free to us, we can take the responsibility to get it renovated, equipped and furnished and manage it effectively.
> Put us in touch with an organization that may be willing to collaborate
> Assist us in planning and executing the project
> Donate towards the setup and running cost