From an immersive expertise, participating stalls, a panel dialogue and a play, DEMCARES, the dementia care unit of the Schizophrenia Analysis Basis (SCARF) hospital in Chennai will mark their tenth anniversary on August 23 in collaboration with the Alliance Française of Madras. 

This public occasion which is open to all, will honour the last decade of labor by DEMCARES in dementia care, analysis and group engagement. 

An exploration of affection, reminiscence and id, The Father, a play written by Florian Zeller and directed by Denver Anthony Nicholas will likely be staged as part of the occasion. Starring T M Karthik, Abinaya R, Abhijit Senthil, Athithya Jayachandran, Bhavya Balantrapu and Dakshana Rajaram, the play chronicles a father-daughter relationship that traverses the on a regular basis actuality of residing with dementia. 

“We’ve got staged this play a number of instances earlier than somewhere else and each time we do, there may be some nuance and a more recent understanding of dementia that emerges for us,” says actor T M Karthik. Having seen a detailed member of the family undergo a terminal sickness, Karthik says that whereas he was in a position to immediately empathise with the character of the daddy he performs, his empathy too has been advanced, and formed by his director and fellow actors onstage as they immerse themselves on this story. 

This tenth 12 months celebration goals to create consciousness, foster empathy, and supply significant assist for individuals with dementia and their caregivers. A sensitively designed immersive expertise room will likely be arrange that folks can stroll into from 2pm to 9pm, and the play will likely be adopted by a panel dialogue. Stalls arrange by group companions can even have participating actions for guests. 

Dr Sridhar Vaitheswaran, Extra Director, SCARF, DEMCARES says that the immersive expertise room will give folks an concept of what it’s that folks with dementia undergo of their every day lives. “The panel dialogue will deal with what the play has tried to convey, and has healthcare practitioners, caregivers and different visitors focus on the present points and future challenges in India with regard to treating dementia,” he says. 

Consciousness programmes, Dr Sridhar says, want to start out early from educating college students in colleges about total good mind well being and dementia as part of that. “We have to maintain the dialog going about way of life components, bodily exercise, correct food regimen and social engagement. We additionally want to focus on particular teams; folks with diabetes, hypertension, and coronary heart illness as an illustration, communicate to them about mind well being and the way in the event that they don’t deal with or maintain their situations beneath management, it may possibly negatively affect their total mind well being and contribute to dementia,” he provides.

On the Alliance Française of Madras, 24 School Highway, Nungambakkam from 2pm onwards. Entry is free. For the play The Father at 5pm, register at dementia.scarfindia.org/registration-form/