NIMHANS & Dementia India Alliance ink MoU to promote the cause of dementia

NIMHANS to start rural mental health programme

National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences (NIMHANS) and Dementia India Alliance (DIA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on advocacy, outreach, training, research work and support services for dementia care.

According to Bengaluru-based NIMHANS, a premier institute for mental health and neuroscience in India, the collaboration aims to improve the overall quality of life of persons with dementia and their family caregivers through various modalities, they said.

Under the terms of the MoU, DIA, a non-profit family carer-centered national organisation with a primary focus on supporting family caregivers and fostering a dementia-inclusive society, and NIMHANS shall actively collaborate to promote the cause of dementia through various services and activities, including support groups, information dissemination, advocacy, research initiatives, education programs, conferences, and other events, a NIMHANS statement said.

In partnership with the Union Department of Health and Family Welfare, NIMHANS and DIA were instrumental in the declaration of Dementia as a public health priority, it said.

NIMHANS and DIA are also working with the Department of Health and Family Welfare in the State on the Karnataka State Dementia Action Plan, aligning with the World Health Organisation's Global Dementia Action Plan, it was stated.

NIMHANS and DIA will conduct joint research projects to develop evidence-based best practices in dementia care, the statement said, adding, this will include research on the identification, prevention, and management of dementia.