Dementia casts a shadow over J&K’s aging population
Srinagar, Sep 20: Amina, 63, from Srinagar downtown, often forgets where she kept her prayer beads.
Last year, she started mistaking the names of her grandchildren.
Her family thought it was the “normal aging” process until doctors diagnosed dementia.
Jammu and Kashmir is witnessing a demographic shift and by 2031, an estimated 17 percent of J&K’s 1.48 crore residents, roughly 25 lakh people, will be over 60 years of age.
Amid the demographic shift and growing elderly population, health experts are calling for heightened public awareness about dementia.
They say this could offer individuals and families more time to plan for a better quality of life.
J&K’s present population is estimated to be around1.2 crore with the elderly (aged 60 and above) now comprising around 9.4 percent of the populace.
This figure is poised to rise sharply due to increasing life expectancy.
While in India, seniors are expected to comprise 20 percent of the population by 2050, this graph is particularly striking in J&K.
In J&K, women at age 60 have over 20 additional years of life expectancy.
This calls for a robust elder care system, the one that is still in its infancy.
One major concern is age-related conditions like dementia.
The number of people suffering from dementia is projected to double in India to reach 18 million cases by 2036.
In J&K, this major health concern, often termed “normal aging”, is also set to affect lakhs of people.
Talking to Greater Kashmir, Assistant Professor Neurology, GMC Srinagar, Dr Sheikh Hilal Ahmad, said that the symptoms include forgetfulness, confusion, or difficulty with daily tasks.
“If a person who has been carrying out an activity normally, now finds difficulty in accomplishing that task, we need to evaluate him,” he said.
Dr Ahmad said dementia was not sudden and usually sets in slowly, often affecting people over the age of 60.
“Yet, it can also set in earlier,” he said. “It’s a health issue that thrives in silence.”
With the elderly population growing, health systems must prioritise education to break this cycle.
Professor of Psychiatry at GMC Srinagar, Dr Arshid Hussain, said ageing brings about a decline in many functions, and it is a biological reality.
“Most of this is still not in our control,” he said.
Dr Hussain said the total number of new cases of dementia each year worldwide is nearly 77 lakh, implying one new case every four seconds.
“Ask the families who have patients with dementia,” he said. “It is overwhelming for patients but it is no less a burden on families.”
Dr Hussain said dementia effects families physically, socially, economically, and psychologically.
Doctors believe that identifying dementia in early stages through cognitive assessments, family observations, or specialist referrals is possible.
They say this could help people retain greater autonomy.
Early diagnosis helps families with time to explore treatments.
There are medications that may slow progression, and many other therapies that are being evaluated to preserve independence.
In J&K, nearly seven in every 10 people live in rural areas.
Specialised healthcare access could mean hours, sometimes days of travel.
In such settings, early intervention is especially vital.
However, with a poor understanding of dementia among the population, this goal is far from being achieved.
As Amina struggles to remember the names of her grandchildren, her story mirrors that of countless other people.
Dementia may be silent, but awareness, early diagnosis can give these precious years meaning.
In Kashmir where memories define so much, every moment of clarity is worth protecting.
