JMI organizes Two-Day National Seminar on Dementia Care for Elders Citizen

In total, the two-day National seminar comprised 8 sessions, with participation from 21 resource persons and 25 presenters, including research scholars, students, and faculty members from various regions across India. 

The Department of Sociology, Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) organized a two-day National Seminar on “Creating Dementia Friendly Society for Elderly Citizens: Issues and Challenges” on March 6 and March 7, 2024 in collaboration with Senior Citizen Division National Institute of Social Defence, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India at the FTK CIT, JMI. .

The inaugural session moderated by Niharika and Daniya, Research Scholars, Department of Sociology, JMI commenced under the esteemed chairmanship of Prof. Eqbal Hussain, Officiating Vice-Chancellor of JMI. The event was graced by distinguished guests, including Chief Guest Dr. M. Aslam Parvaiz, Former Vice Chancellor of Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU), Hyderabad.

Prof. Azra Abidi, Head of the Department of Sociology, JMI delivered the welcoming address. Her address underscored the profound impact of dementia on critical aspects of individuals' lives, including memory retention, personality, cognitive abilities, and everyday functioning. Following this, the keynote address was delivered by Prof. Sanghamitra Sheel Acharya, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) offering insightful perspectives on the seminar's theme. 

The session laid a strong foundation for the seminar's objectives of raising awareness, fostering support networks, and addressing the multi-faceted challenges of dementia care.

The National Seminar was marked by two panel sessions and two paper presentation sessions in which a total of sixteen papers were presented followed by discussions on first day. The panel discussion, titled "Navigating Dementia, Stigma and Ageing: Perspectives from the Social Sciences," was chaired by Professor Sanghamitra Sheel Acharya from JNU. The esteemed panellists for this session included Prof. Surendra Prasad from the Central University of Hyderabad, Prof. Raj Lakshmi Guha from IIT Kharagpur, Prof. Sumita Saha from Presidency University, Kolkata, and Prof. Nishi Pulugurtha from Brahmananda Keshab Chandra College, Kolkata. Together, they brought diverse expertise and insights to the discourse on the intersection of dementia, societal stigma, and the ageing population from the lens of social sciences. There discussions highlighted the interdisciplinary approach to dementia and emphasized the significance of language and active engagement for dementia patients, offering valuable insights into addressing societal stigma and the challenges of ageing population from a social sciences perspective.

The second panel was chaired by Prof. Abdul Waheed, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). Esteemed panelists included Prof. Sameena from AMU, Prof. Mohd Arshad from Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Agra, and Dr K.M. Ziyauddin from MANUU, Hyderabad and Dr. Zubia Veqar Director Centre for Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, JMI. Together, they provided insightful perspectives on the intersection of dementia, societal perceptions, and ageing, drawing from the rich tapestry of social sciences. This session was moderated by Smriti and Ruksana, Research Scholars, Department of Sociology, JMI.

Session one of paper presentations commenced with the theme “Dementia and the Elderly: Stigma, Caregiving and Remedies”. Seven scholars presented their work in this session, which was chaired by Prof. Manisha Pandey, Director of the Centre for North East Studies and Policy Research at JMI. The session covered diverse aspects, including definitions of dementia, its social stigma, holistic implications, community mental health initiatives, power dynamics between patients and caregivers, and the role of NGOs in providing support and fostering empathy towards dementia patients.

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