There is no bigger war than the clash of the Ageing grey cells inside a human mind. The battlefield is just about 1.4 kg and the size of two fists, yet it is the most important war a person needs to win.
The line of control is full of land mines (minds) which are the mind games the primate brain plays, yet it is a war which has no ceasefire.
The nights don't end and the days don't begin, yet the battles continue in the back of the mind in the dark corridors of the grey cells.
The mirror reflects a different image of the elderly soldier, the youth has become battle worn, yet it hangs on the wrinkled skin and the aching bones.
The ghosts of the past don't let a person sleep yet don't let them be awake too, it's a zero sum game between mental health and physical health after a certain age.
Negative thoughts and fears come as drones, the constant battle between positivity and negativity continues throughout the day, but then how long can a soldier hold fort alone?
The only way out is to have advance sirens and preventive red flags which can help identify, support and give care before the actual war starts.....
Family support, community support, training, sensitisation, advocacy and special Eldercare Act needs to go hand in hand if we want the Aged Care sector in India to reach international standards.
Pankaj Mehrotra
