- From various dementia specialists/ organizations in Tamil Nadu: booklets, helplines and in-person support.
- From Old age/ Mental Health Portals from India: short introductions for dementia/ Alzheimer’s Disease.
- From other Alzheimer’s Associations worldwide: short introductions for dementia/ Alzheimer’s Disease.
- Videos in Tamil(YouTube).
- Others.
From various dementia specialists/ organizations in Tamil Nadu: booklets, helplines and in-person support.
There are several organizations working in the dementia domain in Tamil Nadu. You can contact them on phone or in person for information, support, and counselling in Tamil. Names, details, and contact data can be seen at: Resources for dementia care: Chennai, Coimbatore. Some of these may also have printed material in Tamil. Some particularly useful resources are:
DEMCARES (an initiative of SCARF): This organization is very active in the dementia domain in Chennai. They are also working at creation of Tamil material and videos (one video they have released is included below, in the videos section). Email them at dementia@scarfindia.org .
ARDSI Chennai Chapter and Madras Memory Clinic: They are actively working on dementia support in Chennai, and can be contacted for dementia information and support in Tamil. Contact email: sathianathen6@yahoo.com .
DR.V.S.Natarajan had written a Tamil book on dementia (136 pages). Please contact him to check if this book is still available, and also for advice in Tamil. Contact Dr.V.S.Natarajan at email: dr_v_s_natarajan@yahoo.com .
See more information on these including their sites and additional contact information, as well as other organizations that may help at: Resources for dementia care: Chennai, Coimbatore.
Old age/ Mental Health Portals from India that include Tamil Information.
White Swan Foundation, a website on mental health, has a Tamil section. This includes pages on dementia and Alzheimer’s, namely, Dementia டிமென்சியா Opens in new window, Alzheimer’s Disease அல்சைமர்ஸ் குறைபாடு Opens in new window, and Understanding Alzheimer’s Disease அல்சைமர்ஸைப் புரிந்துகொள்ளுதல் Opens in new window.
From other Alzheimer’s Associations worldwide: short introductions for dementia/ Alzheimer’s Disease.
Some other countries that have Tamil-speaking residents have also published dementia/ Alzheimer’s and care information in Tamil to help the residents understand about dementia and care, and so that these residents know about the resources/ services these countries have to help families coping with dementia. Note that the resource information in these booklets is specific to the country that published the booklet.
- Booklet on dementia from Alzheimer’s Society (UK) (PDF file) Opens in new window.
- From Dementia Australia. A set of Tamil booklets is available from Dementia Australia: See this page Opens in new window. Topics include information about dementia, changed behaviors, communication, taking a break, and tips if worried about memory.
- From Lanka Alzheimer’s Foundation. They had some Tamil documents are available at their site on What is Dementia and Activities. Please contact them to know if these or other Tamil documents are still available, etc. Their site is at alzlanka.org Opens in new window.
Videos in Tamil (YouTube).
A video in Tamil (with English subtitles) is available from DEMCARES (an initiative of SCARF), Chennai. This 36 minute video is titled Idhu Mudeevalla Aarambam (Not The End, A Beginning) and is a two part film on dementia. It includes a fictionalized narrative that highlights the importance of recognizing early signs and symptoms of dementia, and also has interviews of real-life family caregivers sharing the difficulties they faced in getting a diagnosis, their caregiving challenges, how they coped, etc.
See the video in the player below, or view it directly on Youtube at Idhu Mudeevalla Aarambam (Not The End, A Beginning) Opens in new window.
Others.
Some Tamil movies are available where a main character has dementia. These include a short movie, Yashoda, the Tamil remake of Kannada movie, Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu- called 60 Vayadu Maaniram (60 வயது மாநிறம்) (also called Arubathu Vayadu Maaniram), and some other movies (House Owner, O Kadhal Kanmani – ஓ காதல் கண்மணி ). Read about these movies and their depiction of dementia, how they can be used to understand dementia and what are their limitations as a source of dementia/ care information: Indian movies depicting dementia.
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