On September 21st 2004 at the Y B Chavan Centre Convention Hall, the Dignity Dementia Care was successfully launched by Dr Noshir H Wadia in a hall over flowing with senior citizens and family members of Dementia affected persons. Along with it the FIRST DAY CARE FOR DEMENTIA FFECTED PERSONS. The occasion was World Alzheimer's Day. Partnering Wockhardt Hospitals, Dignity Foundation launched the first ever centre to be opened in the city to deliver day care services to dementia persons. Dignity Foundation President Dr. Sheilu Sreenivasan announced the launch of four-pronged services:

1. Awareness building about what is dementia (as in Alzheimer's Disease ).
2. Day Care Centre for Alzheimer's afflicted at Dignity Foundation
3. Memory Gym (service for people who want to know how good is their memory)
4. Caregivers Support Group

Dr. Noshir H Wadia, the world renowned Neurologist, Director and Head, Neurological Dept, Jaslok Medical Hospital and Research Centre called upon all the social groups working in the area of Dementia to come together, join hands and spread the awareness as well as support to family with dementia persons. Talking about the uselessness of depending upon Government help and assistance, he congratulated Dignity Foundation for taking the lead in the social management of the disease. He called upon Dignity Foundation and similar NGOs to take up the cause at the national level. He said Dignity Foundation could initiate a massive drive to bring all people working together in the area of Dementia to evolve a national level programme to combat the increasing dangers of the more and more people getting afflicted with this disease.

Dr Charles Pinto, of Nair Hospital, fresh from inaugurating his own Memory Clinic in the morning at the Nair Hospital, called upon all volunteers of Dignity Foundation and family members of Alzheimer's Disease present at the meeting to get to learn in the coping of the difficulties in handling such patients at home. He underlined the importance of multi-disciplinary joint action of the sciences of Medicine, Physiotherapy, brain research, social work, and psychology in the tackling of issues involved in the management of dementia.

Dr. Dilip Panikar, Psychologist, said that Alzheimer's Disease and other dementia bring upon difficult to handle behavioural problems where personality changes, mood, and memory get affected. The person loses all his bearings and becomes a child. Hence great deal of sensitivity has to be learnt to deal with them a t home. He praised Dignity Foundation for setting up a Day Care Centre in South Mumbai and offered all help and counsel to manage the patients well.

Nimesh Shah, President Rotary Club of Bombay Pier launched the brochure sponsored by them on the special occasion. The brochure is an educative tool for lay people to understand the complex issues of dementia types such as Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's, Lewy bodies and Multi-infarct dementia. Wockhardt Hospital Group's Mumbai Head, Dr Lloyd Nazareth announced his Hospital's tie-up with Dignity Foundation offering whole-hearted assistance from awareness building presentations to technical assistance in setting up centres all over the city.

For more details call Dr. Sheilu Sreenivasan : 2380 5645