PatientsEngage held a webinar recently on ‘Dads can make a difference to emotional well-being of a special needs family’ with three well-informed and articulate fathers as panellists sharing their experiences, understanding and insights. We bring you some interesting highlights.
Fathers with children on the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience many challenges of parenting. Though their involvement may be less as compared to mothers, they still need to play an integral and important role in…
Diethono Nakhro’s life changed after an accident in 2006 which rendered her paralysed neck down. Positive, empathetic and relentless, not only did she pick up the pieces after that, she has brought in sweeping changes for the disabled community in Nagaland, advocating for Disabled Rights and also as the State Commissioner for Persons with Disability, a position she does not wear lightly. The Accident and Thereafter I’m quite an extrovert and I led a very active lifestyle before my car…
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, doctors, nurses, attendants and other healthcare workers are actively engaged on the frontlines to manage patients. They have a high risk of developing anxiety, depression and stress during this period. Dr. Milan H Balakrishnan MD DPM, Consultant Psychiatrist and Counsellor at Bombay hospital and Masina hospital, Mumbai helps us understand the issues better. A few studies have been carried in the recent months to assess the mental impact…
There are more than 100,000 deaths per annum in India due to organ failure. Most of these could have been prevented if there were enough organ donors. Jaya Jairam, Project Manager MOHAN Foundation addresses the myths and misconceptions that exist and urges each one of us to be an organ donor. It is estimated that more than a million Indians suffer from end stage organ failure annually, while only around 10,000 are able to get a life-saving transplants in a year. Unofficial statistics from…
As fatalities due to Covid-19 continues unabated, conversations about death gain relevance. We speak with Dr Sneha Rooh, a palliative physician, who has hosted 32 Death Cafes for the purpose of talking about death. You have introduced a radically new concept to India in the form of Death Cafés. Could you tell us something about these Cafes and what really happens there? Death Cafes are places where strangers come together to talk about their experiences and thoughts about death, dying, caring…
Dr Avinash De Sousa, consultant psychiatrist and psychotherapist, talks about how bereavement counselling has become crucial in the times of Covid -19 to deal with sudden deaths and inability to mourn satisfactorily. In times of the Covid pandemic, terms like grief therapy and bereavement counselling have gained significance. Could you tell us a little bit about these concepts? Grief Therapy is a form of therapy which is administered by means of counselling or psychotherapy to an individual who…
June 15 is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. Today we talk about some of the common misconceptions on what constitutes abuse. According to the UN, elder abuse can be defined as “a single, or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust which causes harm or distress to an older person”. It is a global social issue which affects the Health and Human Rights of millions of older persons around the world including India. Myths…
Healthy donors are encouraged to continue donating blood despite pandemic because there are still patients in hospitals in need of blood transfusions and blood components, maintains Dr Lalit Dhantole, Consultant/Head Transfusion Medicine, Fortis Hospitals Mumbai The Covid-19 pandemic has severely affected lives in all sectors. How have blood banks been impacted? As far as blood donation is concerned, blood donors are the backbone of effective blood transfusion services. Lockdown due to Covid-19…
Dr Debasis Basu, Specialist in Diabetes and Preventive Cardiology, President of DAY (Diabetes Awareness and You) and a Senior Consultant with Apollo Gleneagles Hospital, Kolkata, talks about how the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic is affecting lives of people with Diabetes and how DAY is trying to alleviate the situation. How are you helping people with Chronic diabetes during this COVID-19 crisis? By providing regular OPD services if patients can commute to our clinics. We have diligently pursued…
