PatientsEngage General Community

World Disability Day, December 3rd, sheds light on an often ignored ‘minority’, which makes up 15% of the world’s population. While the focus is on ‘inclusivity’, most people are unaware of its existence. Wheelchair user, film-maker and travel expert Rustom Irani shares his sentiments and outlook.  Let’s communicate. Just you and me. You in front of your screen reading this, me, wondering if we’d ever meet in person. Millions of us, wondering, communicating seldom and left wanting. Rules…

Ritika Sahni, a singer-activist, special educator and Founder of NGO Trinayani, an advocacy driven organization, emphasises that it is important to change attitudes and mindset of the non-disabled population if we want to make the world more inclusive for persons with disabilities. Could you tell us a little about Trinayani and how was it conceptualized? Trinayani is an NGO founded in 2006. It has been working towards creating awareness about disability and diversity issues and empowering…

And continue to give back to the community. Vijay Bhende, 38 and his wife who got married on World Aids Day 10 years ago, have completed their TB treatment and have now adopted 10 HIV+ girls. Vijay talks of his near death experience, his feelings of isolation and ostracisation and turning the corner to a healthy life. Please tell us a bit about your condition I am a TB patient who has also been diagnosed with HIV. When were you diagnosed? What were the early symptoms? Please describe your…

Naved Patel, 26 year old chef, entrepreneur, food stylist, suffered severe allergy from his pet dogs that left him acutely breathless, damaged his power to smell and scarred him for life. Here he narrates how it all began. We also talk to Dr. Anil Ballani to understand dog allergy. We are a family of passionate pet lovers. At age 20, when I landed up with 3 dogs in the house, I was over the moon. I was the proud owner of three puppies - two Labradors and one Pug. I named the Labradors Hugo and…

By making a few modifications and changes in the house, a wheelchair user can be as independent as possible. Here are a few suggestions. How to make your house wheelchair user friendly Use wooden planks (in picture above) as portable ramps. Remember the ramp should have 1" rise for every 12" length (1 to 12 ratio). Put handrails on both sides of stairs. To take a wheelchair through a doorway, it should have at least 32" clear opening. Reorganise the furniture to give more space for wheelchair…

Diabetes Management can be challenging and distressing for a lot of families. In our Live Discussion sessions we talk to eminent doctors and patients for tips, vital information and motivation. In continuation of our series on Living Better With Diabetes we have with us Dr. Usha Sriram, Diabetes Specialist, Founder, Diwaaas.   Jayesh Shah, Type 2 Diabetes, Mumbai  Marianne de Nazareth, Type 2 Diabetes, Bengaluru Dr. Usha is passionate about the role of families in diabetes…

Personal safety and sexuality education is critical for children and young individuals with Intellectual disabilities, auditory or visual impairments. But it often does not get the right level of attention from parents and teachers. Enfold Proactive Health Trust, a Bangalore based NGO, has devised a project ‘Suvidha’ to address this gap. Read on. All children, irrespective of the ‘normalcy’ of their neural or physical development, have a right to safety and dignity. Personal safety education…

Snacks and starters are an easy way to consume unhealthy calories at parties. Are you making smart choices? We pulled together some of our favourite tip posters on how to eat healthy at parties.  1. The Right and Wrong Way of Eating Nuts  While nuts are healthy, they should not be fried, salted or chocolate coated or honey coated. Unsalted, raw or dry roasted nuts are best. If you like them crisp, just pop them into the woven for a nice crunchy texture.   2. I love samosas…

Shilpa Aneja, who credits her own Breast Cancer recovery to a positive mindset and her passion for fitness and exercise, shares step-wise process to build stamina based on her own experience.  I believe even though you cannot always keep cancer from coming back, it's important to eat right, exercise regularly and go for follow up check ups. Being fit makes you feel positive and keeps a lot of health issues at bay. Before you start, here are a few pre-requisites: Speak to your doctor…

To move or not to move to a senior living community is a topic of discussion amongst many as they approach retirement and for many years after retirement. Retired Chief Executive Mr. S. Balagopal shares the factors that affected their choice and what they like about their senior living community. #QualityOfLife Tell us a little bit about your background and your family.  I am a Physics Graduate with an Electrical Engineering degree as well and have worked in the Private Sector in…