The Nightingales Medical Trust is asking you to run for them in this year's Sunfeast Marathon. I've personally seen the work done by this NGO and have no doubts whatsoever that they have the best of intentions and make a great impact at the grassroots.
I hope you'll run for them and help address a gaping hole in Indian society - the care of the elderly, especially those suffering from Dementia.
Since you may find it difficult to read the text in the accompanying poster, I'm affixing it below:
You’ve experienced the frustration that comes from misplacing your keys. An Alzheimer’s patient experiences the same feeling every moment of his life. Except that he has misplaced his whole life. His memories, true personality, skills and even his ability to display affection become locked in the dark recesses of his brain.
This could happen to any of us. Incidences of Alzheimer’s are not restricted to people of a particular gender, social strata, profession, ethnicity or dietary habits. Recent studies reveal that a whopping 3.2 million people in India live with Alzheimer’s today. And we’re still trying to figure out how many more remain undiagnosed.
We at Nightingales Medical Trust remain committed to addressing the issues stemming from Alzheimer’s. Our activities include:
• Medical care of patients through our Day Care centers and home visits. This cycle begins with the preliminary assessment and extends till palliative care.
• In-depth and sustained counseling of family members so that they can cope with their loved ones.
• Professional training of caregivers.
• Running a Helpline for Elders and Dementia patients.
• Conducting frequent workshops and support group meetings to spread awareness and hope.
• We’re also inaugurating our very own Nightingales Centre for Ageing and Alzheimer’s, a 70-bed facility in Bangalore, on 24 April 2010. This will be the first center of its kind in India.
Some of these activities require only the belief, love and patience of our staff and volunteers. Others require money as well. Right now, we’re seeking funds for a Mobile Memory Clinic that will cover the whole of Bangalore city plus a major part of the Bangalore Rural District. The clinic will facilitate the early detection, intervention and rehabilitation of Alzheimer’s patients, which in turn will lead to comprehensive and timely care.
Will you help us? Come, use your legs and heart to telling effect. Run with us in the Sunfeast Marathon as an iCare participant and make that crucial difference.
For more details, click here
If you're more ambitious, you could run as a Care Champion. And if you're in an influential position in your organization, then you could encourage it to participate in the Corporate Care program.
All details about the marathon are available here.
All details about Nightingales are available here.
