Re: Facts about AIDS Related Dementia (ARD)

[Guest guest]

Dear Mark, Surendar and other friends of the FORUM,

As a person who has done a lot of work in dementia and tools to assess dementia

in its early stages with the older community i do have a special interest in

detecting the early symptoms among the PLWHA and it does work.

How ever one should realize that treating opportunistic infections among the

PLHA is one problem and if Dementia sets in it is yet another problem that one

has to cope with. Therefore as a routine task i think one has to screen PLHA for

early symptoms of dementia and ensure that it does not mimic depression etc. and

if found one has to take efforts to work with the affected so that care giving

becomes less tense and less difficult.

Dementia as stated is a very complex problem although there are recent medicines

i am yet not sure if it has worker successfully with the onset of HIV too. How

ever in a country like us we need to take the following efforts: screen early

symptoms of Dementia among the PLHA because confirmatory tests becomes very

expensive and i am sure many of us cannot afford. Referral to the Psychiatric

services that are available in places like Chennai who has got exclusive

services for Dementia at the GH Psychiatric OP headed by Dr. Sathiyanathan.

Counseling and correct information rendered to the family members - because

demented people do need their families to a large extent since coordination

of their activities are less dependent on themselves.

If anyone is interested in screening tools and the know how of working with the

same you could contact me and i can share what ever limited materials and

experience i have.

Regards

Shyamala ashok

sfdrt - pondicherry

E-mail: <aabinand@...>