Dementia & Alzheimer's Care in Hyderabad

Dementia is an umbrella term for conditions in which memory, thinking, language, judgement and behaviour decline over time until they interfere with everyday life. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause. Others include vascular dementia, linked to strokes and reduced blood flow in the brain; dementia with Lewy bodies, which often brings visual hallucinations, fluctuating alertness and stiff, slow movement; and frontotemporal dementia, which may first show as changes in personality, behaviour or language, sometimes at a younger age. Many older people have more than one type.

Occasional forgetfulness, such as misplacing glasses or forgetting a name and recalling it later, is common with age. Dementia looks different: repeating the same questions, getting lost on familiar roads, difficulty handling money, trouble following a conversation or a television serial, losing interest in usual activities, or becoming suspicious of family members. In many Indian families these changes are put down to "old age", and help is sought only when a crisis, such as a fall, wandering from home or sudden confusion during an infection, forces the issue.

An early medical assessment matters because some causes of memory problems are treatable or partly reversible, including thyroid disorders, vitamin B12 deficiency, depression, side effects of medicines, poor hearing or eyesight, and normal pressure hydrocephalus. A clear diagnosis also allows families to plan ahead while the person can still take part in decisions about their own future.

Most people with dementia are best cared for at home, among familiar faces and surroundings. Hospital admission is appropriate when there is a medical problem, such as a chest or urine infection, dehydration, delirium, a fall or fracture, or recovery after surgery, or when rehabilitation is needed to regain walking after an illness. Because unfamiliar places can increase confusion, we keep admissions purposeful and encourage family presence; our private rooms have an attendant bed so that a family member can stay.

CNR has physicians and nursing staff available around the clock and an in-house ICU, so older adults with dementia and complex medical problems can be treated and rehabilitated in one place, with fewer moves between hospitals, which are particularly disorienting for them. When the move home needs an extra step, our transitional care service bridges the gap between hospital and home, and in advanced illness our palliative care team focuses on comfort and dignity.