Information and stories on dementia and care: Books from India
November 19, 2015 Leave a comment
Anyway, things are changing (albeit slowly). So around a couple of months ago I began collecting books written in an Indian context, published in India, and which are about dementia or at least prominently include it. I had some of these books already; I bought the rest.
Here’s the set I gathered and have commented on below.
For this post, I am considering these books only in terms of whether they could be useful/ interesting to persons in India who are concerned about dementia and related care. These could be persons in families living with dementia. Or they could be students, volunteers, professionals, etc., who want to know more and understand more about dementia and about care realities and the culture around dementia etc.
Broadly, I categorize the books as under:
- Textbooks, medical explanations, and books suggesting care approaches for dementia
- Information on dementia and care in languages other than English
- Experience sharing by caregivers
- Ethnographic studies and other books on dementia and care status in India
- Other books, such as fiction, humor, etc.
Most of these books are available at stores like Amazon.in and Flipkart.com; search using the book name. For books that have to be ordered directly or are difficult to search for, I have included links to direct sites.
The comments below are, of course, just my personal opinion.
Textbooks, medical explanations, and books suggesting care approaches for dementia

The book is an excellent reference text covering a whole range of topics around dementia-causing diseases, behavior changes, person-centric care, etc. It is a thick book (438 pages) but that is reasonable for its coverage. The book is a collection of chapters by different authors. While writing style varies across chapters, a lay person can definitely get a lot of benefit out of the book.
In my opinion, this book is extremely useful for volunteers, students, and professionals. It is also very useful for caregivers and has many chapters that are directly useful to them. For example, in addition to discussing dementia features and medication, the book covers a range of care topics like handling behaviors, occupational therapy, legal issues, caregiver well-being, etc. Also, the book can be used as an authoritative reference to show to persons who refuse to believe there is such a thing as dementia.
Understanding Dementia: Disease, Treatment & Care (ed. Prof Shyamal Kumar Das). This relatively slim 2009 book has chapters by different authors. It gives the reader a useful overview of various types of dementia, the diagnosis process, changed behavior, etc. It covers dementia well, and explains the symptoms in ways that are easy to relate to. The text is very readable. It also has many relevant illustrations. Coverage on how to care is low, however, and will need supplementing with other material.
The book can be useful to students and to doctors from other specialties. Its friendly, explaining approach makes it suitable even for laypersons. It may be particularly helpful to families trying to understand the problems of dementia and the challenges the person may be facing. Its illustrations and simple language make it suitable as a authentic medical book that families can use to convince persons who refuse to believe the diagnosis. The book is available through the ARDSI Kolkata chapter.See their site.
An Insight into Dementia Care in India (Leena Mary Emmaty) provides information on dementia and care in India. It is written by a social worker. Alas, the book I have is from 2009 and I have not seen a later edition. The book gives a useful overview of dementia and care. It is based on original research and gets dense at places. It often quotes terminology and studies that may not be relevant for caregivers looking for information and practical advice.
Students of social work, nursing, gerontology, psychology, etc. can consider this book as a reference. Caregivers may also find it worth checking out, especially because there are very few India-specific dementia books in print. Caregivers will have to extract useful concepts and tips from text that is sprinkled with technical terms and mentions of research papers.
The sections on resources in India are (naturally) quite outdated.
Information on dementia and care in languages other than English

This is a small book with a modestly priced paperback that can help Gujarati-reading families get introduced and aligned to dementia and care. The book is available on Flipkart and also from this page.
A Bengali book is available from ARDSI Kolkata, “Dementia Paricharyya ডিমেনশিয়ায় পরিচর্যা (Ed. Nilanjana Maulik)“. This book is for caregivers supporting their loved ones with dementia in a day to day situation. It highlights the strategies caregivers can use for their routine tasks. Topics covered include description of dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease, comparison of dementia with aging, how to interact with someone who has dementia, explanations and tips for several topics like communication, bathing and cleaning, various daily activities, healthy living, and also problems like depression, hallucinations and delusions. The book coverage is useful and impressive. Unfortunately, the book does not have any pictures or illustrations.
This is a a slender, modestly priced volume, and could be very useful for Bengali readers who want to learn about dementia, its impact, and care. It is available from ARDSI Kolkata. See their site.
Experience sharing by caregivers (offers some perspectives of how families experience dementia,through these real-life stories)
In the line of Alzheimer’s: The Mission Continues (Brig (Retd.) S P Bhattacharjya): This is the first person account by Brig Bhattacharjya, who at the age of 84 was still looking after his wife Sukla who was then 72 years old. The narrative is remarkably detailed and covers many incidents from the pre-diagnosis stage. The book covers around fifteen years of Sukla’s decline, sharing incidents, mistakes, things that worked and that did not. These include symptoms which the family missed then and only later realized may have been because of initial dementia. While sharing the anecdotes, Brig Bhattacharjya places them in the context in which they happened, shares them with honesty, and also often includes his own analysis. The book is detailed but flows smoothly and is an easy read.
Professionals and volunteers will find this book very useful to understand realities that families face. Caregivers can obtain an idea of the type of problems some families face at various stages of dementia, and the types of mistakes made. The book is published by ARDSI Kolkata. See their site.
Krishna: Living with Alzheimer’s (Ranabir Samaddar): This is the first person account written by a social scientist who was the caregiver for his wife who had Alzheimer’s Disease. The book includes the narration of the last stages of his wife and his account of his grappling with the medical systems is honest, detailed, and insightful. The book is peppered with well-researched data and rich analysis. About the final stages, he says (pg 133): “It is a complex process by which death comes to countless Alzheimer’s patients through the remorseless operation of the means and modes by which medical business runs, the profession works, and medical knowledge prevails.” And, on pg 134: “You realize only gradually that the system is the silent killer of Alzheimer’s patients. Doctors know little about patient care, can advise even less on this, and are not willing to learn from caregivers because they think that medicine is a matter of specialized knowledge.”
The book has several chapters detailed his experiences. The late-stage care chapters, especially, are extremely valuable in our Indian context where late-stage dementia is handled at home and often requires multiple interactions with health care professionals and hospitals. I have heard of similar experiences from many families, but tired, bereaved, frustrated caregivers rarely talk about them openly, and almost never to the media, so this important problem remains under wraps. Volunteers and professionals who are concerned about supporting dementia families may not even be aware of these. The book also contains several chapters about the earlier years of dementia, both the personal side and the social side. Perspectives about “quality of life” have been discussed in a very interesting way. The book is heavy reading in parts, especially when medical data is discussed. But caregivers looking after persons in earlier stages can skip the late-stage dementia part in their first read and return to these parts later.
This book is a must for professionals and volunteers who need to understand problems that families face in the health care system. These are the persons who can help change the system. The book is also important for caregivers, who can get a perspective of how dementia impacts persons, and also a cautionary tale about dealing with medical aspects. Of course, not every family faces the same situation, whether on the personal front, social front, or medical support front–but this book can help people think about situations and how they may handle them if they arise.
A World Within: a remarkable story of coping with a parent’s dementia (Minakshi Chaudhry) This is written by a daughter, and describes her father’s decline. The book is full of well-narrated, touching anecdotes that show various sides of the father–in some he remembers and talks about the past, in some he shows mild confusion, in some where he deteriorates further. The incidents are told with honesty and loving detail and touch the heart. The writing style is intensely personal, and anecdotes are enriched with personal musings, regrets, and insight. The love shines through alongside the glimpses of the growing problems.
Again, a worthwhile read for everyone who wants to know what a family living with dementia may experience. Of course, every family has its own journey through dementia, but this is a valuable insight into one such Indian family.
Ethnographic studies of dementia and care in India (mainly for serious students with time and patience or others with a somewhat academic bent of mind)
No Aging in India: Alzheimer’s, the Bad Family, and Other Modern Things (Lawrence Cohen) is a book whose paperback was first published in 1999 and with a copyright of 1998 with the University of California.
As such this book did not fit my self-imposed search criteria of looking for books published in India that may be of use of caregivers. But it is one of the best books I have read. It is a book that anyone serious about the ethnography of dementia would love to read. The book is an interesting cultural analysis of aging in India. It is also very dense and a heavy read. Lawrence Cohen is a medical anthropologist who is concerned about how people “comprehend the body and its behavior in time” and the book is a detailed account of his observations and study. A must for someone serious about understanding dementia in India through the ages–anthropology or ethnography students, for example–but be warned, this is a book that needs patience, time and attention. It is not aimed at caregivers.
Unforgotten: Love and the Culture of Dementia Care in India (Bianca Brijnath) is another ethnographic study, this time of middle-class families in urban India. It describes how these families care for persons with dementia. Set in 2014, and focused on the urban middle-class, the book may be easier to relate to by many caregivers who read this blog. It is dense, though, and full of references. Readers need to be attentive.
The book is probably best for students and researchers. Do not expect a swift or breezy read; be ready for a meandering, rich read instead. Again, a must for someone serious about understanding dementia in India. If you are a caregiver, well, this book gives several insightful and interesting caregiver stories, but it can be a heavy read.
Other books, such as fiction, humor, etc.
Our Nana was a Nutcase (Ranjit Lal): This is, I think, intended to be a children’s book but I enjoyed it. In spite of its apparently odd title, the book is a delightful, sensitive, and extremely love-filled portrayal of an eccentric grandfather who starts showing symptoms of dementia. Excellent writing. It offers an impressive portrayal of early changes in dementia and how the family realizes something is awry. How the grandkids and others puzzle a bit, and then not just accept him but work hard to make sure he stays at home with them, loved as always. All the characters are portrayed well enough to seem real. For example, the grandfather is vivid as a person, and the grandchildren are fun-loving and affectionate, sometimes mischievous, sometimes disobedient, sometimes considerate.
This book is a great example of fiction that seamlessly includes persons with dementia and has characterizations that are entertaining and informative, yet without any preachiness at all. All through the book, the grandfather is a person and never reduced to being merely a patient. He is someone who is loved and very much remains part of everyone’s life.
Some other books I checked out are listed below. While they are all related to dementia in some way, I do not find their coverage of dementia suitable for informed awareness and improved sensitizing.
Sleeping with Jupiter (Anuradha Roy): This is literary fiction, full of complex nuances. It has an overall theme of loss and searching for the past. The book does this through the stories and experiences of many characters. One such character is an elderly lady with increasing disorientation and forgetfulness. While it portraying the lady’s experience nicely, her behavior is not seen as a possible medical problem by others around her. The symptoms are not noticed as being different enough from aging. Dementia is not mentioned at all, though some reviewers have assumed it (that is how I was given the book’s reference). It is unclear whether the author was depicting her perspective of varying ways people age, or whether she wanted to depict early dementia. The book is good as literary fiction, but it is not a story that can be used to understand or develop sensitivity towards dementia.
Silver Haze (Pankaj Varma). This is related using the first-person voice of the person with dementia–the mother. The author has modeled the story based on his mother, who had dementia. He tries to imagine what she may be thinking and also describes what he thinks her past was like. The bulk of the book, in fact, is supposed to be what the mother (fictional mother) wrote after knowing about her diagnosis. This narration is smooth and rich with detail, and even includes self-awareness about her dementia. The impression the book gives is that this lady with dementia is very coherent and has excellent recall. It is as if her dementia does not affect her ability to write a complete, coherent, detailed life story (the sort of activity that would typically take months or years).
While I am not saying that this can never happen, this would be very unusual. Such a problem-free long-term project of self-expression seems unlikely for someone with dementia. It does not seem consistent with most descriptions written by persons who have dementia (their blogs, books, videos). Also, I and the caregivers have all seen our loved ones with dementia struggle with words and concepts, have huge gaps in memories, and make many mistakes in recall. So this book’s narrative voice didn’t work for me. More important, it could make readers think this is typical. They may therefore underestimate the problems and cognitive decline that persons with dementia face, and have unrealistic expectations or put undue pressure on the persons. Read this book as fiction if you want; if you want to know the experiences of persons with dementia, read their blogs and books and see their videos.
Delights of Dementia and other essays (Dr. G Lakshmipathi). This has a set of allegedly humorous essays on many medical conditions, including dementia (the essay that lends the book its title). I found the book’s humor unsuitable for stressed caregivers and even others. The book’s language around dementia is stigmatizing. Descriptions (fictionalized) of confusions and delusions caused by dementia are described as if they are a source of entertainment that a doctor can use for some sort of comic relief. I am extremely uncomfortable with the thought that someone with dementia or someone supporting them may read this book; they may feel mocked or isolated or may hesitate to contact doctors if they think all doctors think like this. My detailed book review is on amazon.in (a one-star review).
Some other posts on how dementia is covered in stories, movies, media, etc., and also some links to dementia care story sharing in India:
- Indian movies depicting dementia: some comments has detailed comments on:
- U, Me aur Hum (Hindi, DVD available, starring Kajol)
- Black (Hindi, DVD available, starring Amitabh Bachhan)
- Thanmathra (Malayalam, DVD with English subtitles available, alternate spelling Thanmatra, starring Mohan Lal)
- Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara (Hindi, DVD available, starring Anupam Kher)
- Mai (Hindi, can be viewed on erosnow.com, starring Asha Bhosle)
- Some follow-up comments on movies etc., at: Information, creativity, fictional imperatives, hope: Considerations while using movies to understand dementia
- Several caregiver stories, interviews, newspaper coverage, etc., all India-based, at: Caregiver interviews and voices
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