If You Think ‘Age Is Just The Number & Still Feel Young, but DON’T DRIVE if You have Serious Dementia Problems

If You Think ‘Age Is Just The Number & Still Feel Young, but DON’T DRIVE if You have Serious Dementia Problems

Mangaluru: This article is in reference to the report  “COVID-19 Lockdown: Case filed against Man for Obstructing Police on Duty” published on 17 April, and to clarify a few points after our portal received comments from our readers stating that publishing such report without knowing the facts was not right and we have the clarification for that. First of all, the facts were known by us only after the family members made it clear that the elderly person was suffering from Dementia. Considering the age and the condition of the elderly man, the police have not seized the car nor arrested him. And if Mangalorean.com had known the facts on the day of the incident, we wouldn’t have incorporated the video along with the report.

If you look at the coverage given by Yours Truly (Alfie D’Souza) in the past and even present towards the Senior Citizen organizations, Mangalore Alzheimer’s Association, PAGE, Vishwas Trust, Spoorthi Charitable Trust, KMC Navachaitanya, among others-I have given my best coverage than any other journos- and also the wide coverage/publication given by Mangalorean.com to all these Associations, I bet no one else has done that- so the report that was published yesterday, was not intentionally meant to hurt a person with Dementia if we had known it earlier. So, the blame should not be put entirely on our portal for carrying the report along with the video.

On the evening of the incident, the cops also didn’t know that the elderly person had dementia, and we should appreciate the way the cops handled the situation with leniency and under patience, even after the elderly man was abusing them with bad mouth and arrogance. Just imagine if the same incident had happened in other cities, you know how the cops there would have manhandled this elderly man. The cops were doing their job cracking down on violators of lockdown rules, irrespective of young or old, and the elderly person was no different motorist for them. The cops can’t judge an elderly person whether he has Dementia, Alzheimer’s or mental sickness. Not all elderly men who raise their voices, use bad words or show arrogance, mean that they all have dementia. I hope this makes sense- and now that we have got the clarification from the family members about the man’s health problems, Mangalorean.com removed the video as requested by the daughter of the elderly man- and justice was served in this regard. But what about the video images that are still going viral on social media or youtube, can someone stop them, as they made us remove. Oh well!

“None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm. Live your life and forget your age ” had said Henry David Thoreau; and Pearl S Buck had said, “Our society must make it right and possible for old people not to fear the young or be deserted by them, for the test of a civilization is the way that it cares for its helpless members.” So for that matter, the so-called “Elders”, who are in their 60 plus up to 80 plus, or in other terms you can call them “Youngsters”, it’s nice to note that they are still enjoying their old-age life, doing once again what they did when they were young- and as they say “Age is just a number”- go ahead and make the best use of your vintage age and feel young, do all the activities and have fun just like your younger days, but on a serious note, if you are unable to drive due to dementia, don’t take a chance to drive-or the caretakers should see that dementia patients stay away from driving. And this example of last evening will bring awareness among the people.

Team Mangalorean does agree with the message sent by a doctor, stating- “I am a doctor by profession. This old man is suffering from a medical condition called dementia which leads to memory loss and these behavioural problems. It is extremely wrong to share such videos without verifying the facts. All of you please educate yourself about dementia before passing judgement. It’s unfortunate that educated people also have failed to understand the old man’s condition. Also, there are some people who have been blaming his family members for allowing him to go out. I have learnt that only two people, that is, he and his old wife stay at his home. It is very hard to look after people with dementia. His old wife may not have realized that he has gone out or probably, she may not have been able to control him, As a doctor, I say this, dementia is extremely difficult to handle. I hope news agencies and people educate themselves before making such videos viral. Highly unfortunate”.

Well said by Doctor, but on the day of the incident, we nor the cops knew that the elderly person had dementia symptoms, and if we had known the facts our report with the video wouldn’t have made it on our web page. Like another example- an elderly man shoots down a bunch of people- and the news is published as Breaking News blaming the man- but later it is found that the man was found to be mentally retarded.

Reports in journals state that People with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia disorders lose the ability to drive safely. Safe driving requires attention, concentration, and the ability to follow particular steps and rules. You also need to be able to make quick and appropriate decisions. For people with Alzheimer’s disease or other disorders causing dementia, these skills will decline over time. Eventually, driving will not be an option. The decision to stop driving may be difficult for the person with dementia, caregivers and family members. If you care for someone with dementia, consider certain strategies to prioritize safety and ease the transition, like -Starting the conversation, Making the transition, When to stop driving.

Some people with dementia may decide they no longer want to drive because they are concerned about safety. Others may be reluctant to stop driving, and they may not be aware of a decline in their driving skills. Getting lost when driving to familiar places, Confusing the brake and gas pedals, Failing to observe traffic signs, Making slow or poor decisions, Becoming angry or confused while driving, starting arguments with police when caught for the violation, etc. Control key access. Keep keys out of sight.

What Is Dementia?
Dementia is an overall term for diseases and conditions characterized by a decline in memory, language, problem-solving and other thinking skills that affect a person’s ability to perform everyday activities. Memory loss is an example. Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia. Symptoms of dementia can vary greatly. Examples include Problems with short-term memory; Keeping track of a purse or wallet; Planning and preparing meals; Remembering appointments etc.

If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with dementia, you are not alone. The Mangalore Alzheimer’s Association is one of the most trusted resources for information, education, referral, and support- and also you can take help from PAGE, Spoorthi Charitable Trust, and Dr Prabha Adhikari will also be the right person to help you out.

IS CITY OF MANGALURU ‘AGE FRIENDLY’ and ‘DEMENTIA FRIENDLY’?

by Dr Prabha Adhikari
Professor and HOD, Geriatric Medicine, Yenepoya Medical College; Founder of KMC Navachaintanya; Vice President- People’s Association for Geriatric Empowerment (PAGE); and Secretary-Spoorthi Charitable Trust.

While the entire world is busy with COVID-19 lockdown to protect elders who have the highest risk of death due to COVID-19, we realized that people have varied opinions regarding the rights and duties of the elderly especially those elderly who suffer from this disease called Alzheimer`s disease. This lockdown has really hit this class of people who are basically normal in all ways but have just lost recent memory..We really don’t know how family members are managing them ..Perhaps they are chained and kept or medically doped and kept inside the walls of the houses …Definitely, People who think that they are not going to get such a disease won`t understand it..

Alzheimer’s disease is a disease of the brain where there is a progressive loss of nerve cells and its connections leading to the failure of some of the functions of the brain. Just as you have a patient with chronic kidney failure, liver failure, lung failure or heart failure, this a disease of the brain with chronic brain failure. Just as any other organ failure goes through stages, where patients hardly have any symptoms, Alzheimer’s disease also has stages. While there is a pre-clinical stage where the person is absolutely normal without any symptoms, we have asymptomatic phase

Mild Cognitive Impairment: In the symptomatic phase, in early stages, it is just simple forgetfulness of a name or date which we call in medical term as simple memory impairment which is very common even in middle-aged adults. At this stage, it cannot be called as dementia.

Early dementia: In the next stage called Early dementia, patients suffers from memory impairment for recent events only.he or she may not remember what he ate for breakfast or what he read in the newspaper. This bit of information gets completely erased from his brain. He may become suspicious as he may forget where he has kept important documents and there could be a change in his behavior. However, all his other skills are intact he can still be an expert in the skills that he has learnt. He may be able to perform complex tasks like driving if his visuospatial skills are intact. They may be able to move around freely in familial surroundings. He is encouraged to keep himself active and engaged in activities that he enjoys. He may be aware of his illness and confess that he is unable to remember or deny it.

Moderate Dementia: In this stage, the person with dementia has much more memory loss and there are disorganized thinking and behavior. He is unable to function independently. He will need the help of the near and dear ones for activities of daily living. Independent driving, or even carrying out any kind of skilled work may be difficult. However, if kept active they may be able to keep themselves engaged in the home environment or in a daycare center. They may have difficulty understanding language and may have difficulty finding their way.

Advanced dementia: Here the disease progresses to involve several other parts of the brain that the patient is unable to walk, carry on any activities of daily living such as feeding, dressing, bathing, walking or transferring. The speech may be limited to a few words. Swallowing may be difficult and tube feeding may be needed.

Legal Implications of Dementia:

Can Patients with Alzheimer’s disease make a living will?
Patients with early dementia can definitely make a living will as their thinking is intact.

Can Patients with Alzheimer`s disease move independently in the city?
Every city has to become dementia friendly so that patients with Alzheimer’s disease move independently and safely especially those who have no disability other than just recent memory impairment. If they have very good visuospatial skills they are permitted to drive. However, patients who have lost orientation to space cannot drive and should not drive or move about independently as it is not safe for them or others. In western countries, occupational therapists assess their skills for driving and walking and certify them from time to time. However, in India, rules are yet to evolve.

In this era of the growing elderly population, we are going to see more and more of the elderly with dementia. Society has to take care of them. Children may or may not be there to look after them. They are not mad people. They are people with just brain failure. They have every right to enjoy a drive in the city or a walk in the city or enjoy a meal in the restaurant. They have served their lifetime for the people of the city. Mangaluru being a haven for retired people should be age-friendly and dementia-friendly.