PatientsEngage General Community

For more than 7 months of the pandemic, one of the communities that has been most impacted are frontline healthcare workers and professionals. But these are not some remote group of people. They are our family members, our friends, our colleagues and us.  The wellbeing of the "helping professionals" impacts all of us. Join in at 3pm IST 16th Oct 2020 as we speak with our panelists on the issues being faced and what we can all do about it. - Dr. Nilesh Gawde, Chairperson, Centre for Public…

Polypharmacy in the elderly is a growing concern and can even cause harm to the patient. Dr. Anita Kumar explains the risks associated with polypharmacy, the symptoms to watch out for and the way forward for patients and their caregivers.     Polypharmacy is an issue that requires addressing because people unknowingly follow polypharmacy and do not recognize the potential harm it may cause. In recent times, polypharmacy has emerged as a public health issue and a concern globally…

About one in five of suicides are of senior citizens. It is a cause for enormous concern that warrants attention from healthcare providers, policy makers, communities and us as part of the larger society, writes Samiksha Sivan. In an effort to raise awareness about suicides and suicide prevention, and destigmatize it, we observe September 10 as World Suicide Prevention Day, a concept organised by the International Association of Suicide Prevention (IASP) and the World Health Organization (WHO…

2020 changed the independence and empowerment of older adults to a feeling of heightened vulnerability. But does it really have to be like that? Can older persons reclaim the feeling of being in control? Here is a practical list of what to do and avoid. The Covid-19 pandemic has reduced everyone in their 60s and above to being termed ‘Vulnerable Elders’, with its associated feelings of fear and isolation from even friends and relatives. But it was barely six months ago that the 60s were termed…

While teleconsultation has immense benefits, it can be limiting for patients with chronic pain where a physical examination may be necessary to reach correct diagnosis, avers Dr Mary Abraham, Pain & Palliative Care Specialist. The year 2020 has been the year of the SARS Covid-19 pandemic. It has been and still is an unprecedented situation that has transformed the lives of people all over the world. Besides the physical suffering it has inflicted, it has also affected the emotional, social…

On World Suicide Prevention Day, Sunitha Ramachandran, senior volunteer and mentor in Samaritans Mumbai, a suicide prevention helpline, gives us a gamut of vital information on how to recognise and prevent suicidal thoughts and acts and seek timely help to save lives. Could you tell us a little bit about the work being done by Samaritans Mumbai? Samaritans Mumbai offers emotional support for those who may be stressed, distressed or even suicidal. Our helpline is available via both phone and…

Sweta Tiwary, Volunteer, Mentor and Trainer at Connecting NGO, Pune, a suicide prevention helpline talks about how the nature of distress calls changed during the ongoing pandemic. And how callers have been impacted by the media coverage of Sushant Singh Rajput. *TW:  Discussion on causes of suicide and feelings of people in distress Have you kept your helplines open through the lockdown? Yes, we have. We are offering telephonic and email support. Walk-in service is temporarily not…

As the best alternative for face-to-face meetings, since the lockdown began in March 2020, more and more doctors are flocking towards teleconsults via video and telephonic calls. While the guidelines for Telemedicine came in a little later*, much was left to the individual’s discretion on how to conduct these consults, leaving many doctors and patients unhappy and unsatisfied. We spoke to several patients and doctors before putting together the essential crux of what both sides of the call…

Join us as we speak with Hvovi Bhagwagar, Clinical Psychologist and Trauma Therapist on how covid-19 pandemic is causing a lot of stress and tension in people. Previously defined coping and self care mechanisms are not available or not working. So what we can do to find strategies to cope Topic Pandemic Stress and Burnout: Relearning How To Cope When: 5th September, 2020  3:30pm IST, 6pm SGT    To join the webinar, click on the link below https://us02web.zoom.us/j/…

Dr. Manvir Bhatia, Senior Consultant in Neurology and Sleep medicine, says that the pandemic has severely affected the crucial sleep-wake rhythm of people impacting their mental and physical health, leading to chronic insomnia. She highlights the role of sleep in building immunity and recommends some tips for better sleep. We have been hearing and reading about an increase in the number of people suffering from disturbed sleep patterns and poor quality of sleep due to Covid-19. Have you seen a…