Navi Mumbai: Missing for seven hours, elderly couple reunited with family

Thanks to good Samaritans and messages that went viral on social media an elderly couple from Navi Mumbai suffering from memory loss was reunited with their family after they had gone missing for over seven hours Ninety twoyearold Kuttikrishnan Nair and his 82yearold wife Lakshmikutty had stepped out of their house at Sanpada Sector 3 for a morning walk on Wednesday at 308 amNinety twoyearold Kuttikrishnan Nair and his 82yearold wife LakshmikuttyldquoMy mother was diagnosed with dementia three years ago and was under treatment she forgets names people and places whereas my father has agerelated memory issues Usually they would return home after an hourlong walk for which they would step out every morning at 530 amrdquo said Manikandan Nair 59 who resides in Dombivli The elderly couple resides with their younger son Sudhir Nair 53 Sudhir panicked when his parents didnrsquot return home after a long time Their sons made public appeals on social media and even went to lodge a missing complaint with the APMC police in Navi MumbaiGood Samaritan SpeaksVikas Shingate 51 a resident of Arihant Sparsh sector 26 Vashi said ldquoI spotted the elderly couple sitting on the footpath close to our societys main gate Our society security guard had been observing that suspicious strangers were making an attempt to befriend the couple as the elderly man was having about Rs 10000 to Rs 15000 cash and the woman was wearing a gold bangle We immediately shooed them away and for the safety of elderly couple we got them inside our society and as they were hungry we fed themrdquoldquoIt was a heart wrenching site as the couple tried hard to recall their place of stay and even phone numbers but they were unable to We informed the APMC police and at the same time a female member from the society who had seen the photograph of the couple on social media showed us the missing message put by their son and had their mobile numbersrdquo said ShingateVikas contacted Preeti Nair 51 chairperson of Divayan Samajik Sanstha from Vashi as she could speak to the couple in Malayalam Preeti said ldquoThe elderly man was unable to recall where they resided Initially he said Sanpada and after a while he said Kharghar whereas his wife kept repeating in Malayalam that she was from Kerala and they were newly married She was accompanying her husband to his housePreeti NairldquoThough we found an Aadhaar card in the possession of the elderly man which mentioned the address of Sanpada there was no other contact or phone numbers available Also since he was carrying a lot of cash Vikas had already connected to the policerdquo said PreetildquoIt was around 1130 pm when Preeti Nair called to inform that my parents are safe and are now at the APMC police station we rushed and were happy to get them back by 230 pmrdquo said ManikandanldquoThanks to social media and good Samaritans like Vikas and others who not only took care of them but also sensed the danger They gave them refuge and food as wellrdquo said PreetildquoWe are happy that their son who was worried about the safety of his parents was pleased to get them back and after completing some formalities at the police station they returned home safelyrdquo said ShingateldquoWe are thankful to all the good Samaritans who took care of our parents and ensured their safety My father had enough cash and my mother had a gold bangle which was enough for antisocial elements to loot themrdquo said ManikandanDr Harish ShettyDr Harish Shetty a consulting psychiatrist said ldquoAlzheimer is a health burden for the family as appropriate facilities required are almost absent in the country In a world of nuclear families living in match box homes with elders and little time to interact due to long working hours things have become difficult Wandering behaviour has increased recently among those having dementia This behaviour increases as human contact decreasesrdquoLook for early signsDr Shirish M HastakDr Shirish M Hastak Regional Director Neurology and Stroke Gleneagles Hospital Parel said ldquoEarly symptoms signs of memory loss should not be ignored it might start with recent memory loss or the elderly family member asking same question repetitively like have I taken my breakfast bath etc these are indicators that should be picked up immediately and appropriate screening should be done to rule out the underlying reason behind it In the case of this elderly couple it seems they had lsquovisuospatial disorientationrsquo due to which they forgot their way back home Dementia may be due to neuro degeneration or other metabolic nutritional causesrdquoOther reasonsldquoWe have come across cases wherein sooner detection helps in 10 to 1537 of cases to reverse dementia However apart from neurological reasons other factors like thyroid disorder deficiency of vitamin B12 liver or kidney dysfunction excess alcohol consumption including medicines etc can also cause memory losses irrespective of age We must understand that every dementia is not Alzheimer disease and such elderly people need to have their place of address contact details always on them to avoid getting lostrdquo said Dr HastakCaregiver speaksJaved Sheikh CEO Dignity Foundation and Alliance for Dementia Care Mumbai said ldquoWe must understand that Dementia Alzheimer is a problem with no solutions and it has no cure across the globe but we can arrest the progress with early diagnosis of the symptoms However the irony is that unlike many Western countries who have already started their Research on these ailments India is still lagging behind especially when our country is an ageing nation and we are not prepared to face the future challenge of this ageing population falling prey to Dementia Alzheimer As per a recent study India at present has around 88 million elderly population above 60 years suffering from Dementia Alzheimer and the study reveals that by 2036 the number of people living with Dementia in India will increase to 17 crores It is high time that we start educating and spreading awareness about them to our masses so that atleast through early detection we could still delay if not cure the problemrdquoStages of AlzheimerrsquosEarly Stagemiddot Forgets recently read materialsmiddot Trouble organising planningmiddot Forgets recent events names details about own identity and datesmiddot Wanders and become lost in familiar placesMiddle Stagemiddot Needs assistance while getting dressedmiddot Bladder and bowel function issuesmiddot Sleep disturbancemiddot Agitation restlessness and anxietyLate stagemiddot Significant personality and behaviour changesmiddot Difficulty moving eating and swallowingmiddot Significant dependence on caregivers for activities of daily livingmiddot Loss of control over bladder and bowelSome family tips to delay and preventmiddot Take all medicines on time and visit your physician or neurologist or psychiatrist regularlymiddot Speaking a second language can increase your cognitive skillsmiddot Get moving walking exercising increase blood and oxygen flow to the brainmiddot Flex your brain solve puzzles note your finances do household chores etcmiddot Do not depend too much on your kids for emotional nourishment alone but be in touch with your old friendsmiddot Reading writing listening to music can keep the brain cells very active in those who have dementiaPhone them to know more ndashmiddot Toll free no 1446 all India Tele Manas ndash A 247 helpline no 14416 for mental health including dementia available in many languagesmiddot Dementia India Alliancersquos National Dementia Support Line ndash Monday to Saturday 8 am to 6 pm ndash 8585990990middot Helpage India ndash All India Toll free no ndash 1800 180 1253middot Alzheimers and Related Disorder Society of India ARDSI Helpline 247 ndash 9846198471middot Samaritans Mumbai 400pm to 10 pm 8422984528middot iCALL Psychological Helpline 1000 am to 800pm ndash 9152987821middot Connecting Trust Every Life Counts 1000 am to 800pm 9922004305middot Voice that Cares 9am to 9pm ndash 8448844845middot NIMHANS psychological Support Helpline ndash 247 080 46110007middot Pallium Indiarsquos National Helpline for Palliative Care ndash 9645884889 or 8606884889middot Dignity Foundation and Alliance For Dementia Care 9152017120Source Nair hospital Psychiatry department in collaboration with Dignity Foundation Mumbai