Book on coping with parent's dementia

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh Wednesday released a book titled 'A World Within', which is based on the travails of coping with a parent's dementia.

"It's based on parent-child relationship," writer and former journalist Minakshi Chaudhry told IANS.

"This story is a sensitive tale, the story of a man dying in slow motion. This is a tale of a man building bridges to nowhere as he loses his memory and is struck by a deadly disease - Alzheimer's," she said.

"But this journey has life lessons too... Dementia and Alzheimer's are still mysteries. We just have a combination of vitamins, anti-depressants and sleep-inducing pills as a prescription. The number of the elderly will increase in coming decades as average life expectancy will rise. Many of them will suffer from diseases, including dementia/Alzheimer's, and will need loving care, attention and proper handling," says the author of the 241-page book published by Hay House, India.

"This is a big social issue that needs to be taken care of," said the Shimla-based writer.

Her earlier books include "Ghost Stories of Shimla Hills", "Love Stories of Shimla Hills" and "Whispering Deodars: Writings from Shimla Hills".