The first Dementia Day Care Centre in the city opened its doors opposite Dhakuria post office on Monday. Actor Sabyasachi Chakraborty, who inaugurated the centre, said at the function: “The best form of worship is worshipping our elders and I don’t believe in ignoring my gods.”

He promised to help in “every way possible to spread the news and assist the project”.

The day care centre is the latest in a series of projects undertaken by the Calcutta chapter of Dignity Foundation, based in Mumbai. It has conducted career counselling workshops and e-learning courses for senior citizens. It also runs a legal helpline for abused elders, a companionship service and a monthly magazine called Dignity Dialogue, in which senior citizens are encouraged to voice their views.

“A care centre for dementia is essential in a city which has some 50,000 affected people. But awareness levels are low and people think that just locking up a patient is enough. At such a centre, we can provide expert care and make the lives of the patients more meaningful. We can then think of the caregivers. Looking after parents and relatives with dementia and Alzheimer’s can be too stressful for working men and women,” stated chapter director Preeti Roy.

The centre’s superviser Alpana Das said: “Dementia cannot be reversed, but we can assist medication with physical and mental exercises. If patients don’t get the opportunity or encouragement to push their abilities, their condition deteriorates quickly.”

The centre will have the support of neurologist Amlan Mondal and psychiatrist Amar Nath Mallick. Social workers and volunteers have received special training for three months from Dignity Foundation’s Dementia Centre in Mumbai. The Mumbai centre has gained quite a few clients in the three years of its existence, but people are still hesitant, said Dignity member Sarala Totla.

The four-roomed centre has facilities for yoga, meditation, memory gym and other indoor activities, including knitting. “Our aim is to keep the clients busy all day, so that they feel sleepy at night,” explained Das.