By Sunil Saxena I had never thought that family albums can also be a source of pain till I picked up an old family album that was lying at the bottom of the bookshelf. The album cover had frayed with age and some of the photographs had turned yellow. But it was not the condition…
By Amitabh Sharma It seemed that a curse had been cast on Euphemia from the day she was born, it wasn’t ending anytime in her lifetime. Thrust to her father as soon as she was born, abused by stepmother, hers was a life which one wouldn’t even curse one’s enemy with. Euphemia, as she grew…
By Sunil Saxena I gave the dementia medicine for the first time in the night around 8 pm. She woke up around 11 pm. I could hear her calling out for me. There was fear in her voice. When I rushed into her room, I saw her standing next to the bed holding the walker…
By Sunil Saxena Can you slow down your thoughts? You can, if you practice Mindfulness Meditation. This amazing practice, which is based on breathing, helps you calm your brain and body. It trains you to focus on the moment. You are less distracted, and more peaceful. As the name suggests, this practice has two dimensions…
By Sunil Saxena When elderly go missing they leave a bigger hole in the heart than those who pass away. You can never be at peace with yourself again. There will always be a nagging doubt in your mind. Have you done enough to trace your loved one? Is he still alive? Is he sleeping…
By Sunil Saxena The neurologist was blunt. “No, dementia can’t be cured,” he said firmly. “At best, we can slow it down.” The answer was simple and straightforward. Yet, I found it hard to accept. “What does it mean,” I asked. “It means that your mother will never be the same again. The best we…
By Amitabh Sharma There’s life, and there’s life … for some, it is not a bed of roses, and in Euphemia’s case, it was walking on hot embers. Her life began with rejection – her mother developed severe postpartum depression with psychosis soon after giving birth to Euphemia. Not in a state of mind to…
By Sunil Saxena My mother showed the first symptoms of dementia almost two years ago. But we thought it was erratic behaviour, and spent more time counselling her than finding a cure. This was a cardinal mistake. Today, dementia has set in, and my mother takes two tablets every day – Donep 5 after breakfast…
By Sunil Saxena My boss hated WhatsApp. He considered the WhatsApp groups too informal, and never joined the office WhatsApp group. Result: He missed out on all the juicy gossip. But he didn’t mind. To him, email was the correct channel for all office communication. “Email,” he said “created an electronic record. One can refer…