World Alzheimer’s Day Raising Awareness & Fighting Stigma: Columbia Asia Hospitals, Ahmedabad


Sensitizes People to Plight of Alzheimer’s Patients with Special Campaign

Alzheimer’s most common in people over 65 years of age; but some people in their 40s & 50s are also affected 

Early medical intervention only way to slow down the progression of the disease

Ahmedabad, 29th  September  2016: In a bid to sensitize people about Alzheimer’s disease, raise awareness about the condition and help create an environment of dignity for the people living with it, Columbia Asia Hospital, Ahmedabad today joined the World Alzheimer’s Day campaign. 

World Alzheimer’s Day Raising Awareness & Fighting Stigma: Columbia Asia Hospitals, Ahmedabad

World Alzheimer’s Day Raising Awareness & Fighting Stigma: Columbia Asia Hospitals, Ahmedabad

World Alzheimer’s Day Raising Awareness & Fighting Stigma: Columbia Asia Hospitals, Ahmedabad

World Alzheimer’s Day Raising Awareness & Fighting Stigma: Columbia Asia Hospitals, Ahmedabad


September 2016 is the fifth global World Alzheimer’s Month, an international campaign to raise awareness and challenge stigma around the most common form of dementia that afflicts millions of people across the globe.
As part of the campaign, the hospital distributed badges bearing messages of hope and love to visitors at its premises. The hospital staff also shared information with curious visitors about the condition and its devastating effects on patients and their families. 

Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia, the general term for memory loss and other intellectual disabilities serious enough to interfere with daily life. It is a progressive disease that starts with mild memory loss and gradually progresses to a state where the patient loses the intellectual and cognitive ability to carry on conversations and perform normal daily tasks. They lose all threads of memory and fail to recognize even their near and dear ones.

Alzheimer’s disease therefore doesn’t just affect the patient but has serious impact on the emotional well-being of his/her family which goes through the painful experience of losing their loved one. The theme for World Alzheimer's Month 2016 is ‘Remember Me’  under which people are being asked to share their favorite memories, or memories of a loved one on social media with the hashtags #RememberMe #WAM2016. 

“Alzheimer’s is a difficult condition for which we are yet to develop a cure. However, if medical 
intervention is made in the early years of its onset, the progression of the disease can be slowed down. Unfortunately, people in India consider it as a normal part of ageing and most do not seek medical help in the early years. There is also a lot of misinformation and stigmatization associated with the condition which needs to be addressed. We need to sensitize people to the difficult condition of these patients and help create an environment of dignity for them,” says Dr Hetal Parekh (MD DNB Neurology). 

Another important fact to be highlighted is the possibility of early onset of this condition. While 

of people with Alzheimer's are aged 65 years and above, a small portion of them can develop early onset Alzheimer's, which starts manifesting as early as the 40s or 50s. 

It is essential therefore to remain alert to any symptoms of cognitive or memory loss even if you are still to touch the 60 year mark.
  
About Columbia Asia Hospitals Pvt. Ltd.
Columbia Asia Hospitals Pvt. Ltd. is the only company in India to utilize 100% foreign direct investment (FDI) route in the hospital sector.

About Columbia Asia Group of Companies
The Columbia Asia Group is owned by more than 150 private equity companies, fund management organizations and individual investors. The group currently operates eleven facilities in India and has presence in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Gurgaon, Ghaziabad, Kolkata, Mysore, Patiala and Pune. The company also operates hospitals in Malaysia (11), Vietnam (3), and Indonesia (3). The Indian management operations are managed from its office in Bangalore