Poesy Liang 小詩 is an artist who uses art to question and break down stereotypes. She survived 3 spinal surgeries and battled paralysis twice caused by a rare benign tumour in her spinal cord (thoracic intradural meningioma).This is her speech made during the media conference to open the exhibition for Arts Beyond Sight feat in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
"I’d like everyone to relax, don’t look at your phone, close your eyes. Relax, it’s okay. Close them. Let your eyes take a minute break…
The Romila Palliative Care Centre was started by Dr Armida Fernandez, after she lost her daughter to cancer. While the best medical care was provided to her, she felt the softer aspects of patient care were missing. Here, she talks about her desire to fill this vacuum. When and how did you start Romila Palliative Care? Romila Palliative Care started in February 2017. I lost my daughter to cancer in 2013 and at that time we felt that although the best of medical care was available, the softer…
With the population of elderly persons, above 60, increasing substantially, the need for comfortable, well-equipped retirement homes, a relatively new concept in India, has arisen. Here is a 14-point checklist to help you choose the best assisted living home to ensure a safe, healthy and happy stay. Check it out: Ideally, find a home that has guest-room facilities where you can stay for a few days. This will allow you to check out whether the lifestyle will suit you. Plan to stay for at least…
A new study published in the journal BMJ Open compared the health outcomes of people prescribed Proton Pump Inhibitors(PPI) and H2 blockers for Heartburn/Acid Reflux and this is what they found. The people who were prescribed PPIs (for eg. esomeprazole, or Nexium, and lansoprazole, or Prevacid) had a 25% higher risk of dying during the study period than those who took the H2 blockers (such as famotidine, or Pepcid, and ranitidine, or Zantac) In a new study published in the journal…
Meet Miss Wheelchair Runner Up 2014, Model/Actress, Motivational Speaker, Writer, Disability Rights Advocate and Quora's Top Writer Virali Modi. From a bubbly 14-year-old school girl in Pennsylvania, USA, she was rendered paralysed neck down as a result of an unknown diagnosis (meningitis, enchephalitis, meningioenchepalitis, spina bifida, and/or transverse myelitis). She shares her opinions of how Indian society needs to go through a sea change vis a vis its attitude towards people with…
With the rapid increase in ageing population, elder abuse is predicted to increase in the coming years. We speak to Sailesh Mishra, who is working passionately for the advocacy of senior citizens and geriatric care, on the existing scenario and how best we can create an elder friendly society. How many senior citizens are there in India today? What percent of the total population do they comprise? There are 100 million plus senior citizens (above 60) in India today. They comprise about 10% of…
The Dementia Friends Program of SCARF (Schizophrenia Research Foundation) is a unique initiative aimed to create dementia friendly community in Chennai. Hear from the young volunteers themselves how it not only helps engage persons with dementia but also makes the youth aware and empathetic. Around 4.5 million people in India are suffering from dementia and the figure is likely to double by 2030, according to health experts. Despite the large numbers, only 1 out of 10 people with dementia in…
In the book Em and the Big Hoom, Jerry Pinto takes the reader right into the heart of the Mendeses family which reels and recovers as it tries to cope with the mental illness of its central character. A book report by Shwetankshi Bhuwalka (A Psychology Major, School Teacher, and Avid Reader) They say the greatest books are the ones you don’t want to end. You want to continue reading it for as long as you can and it becomes a part of your world. I finished reading the book a couple of…
The world’s first prosthetic legs made out of special kind of cane allows an amputee to walk, run and dance with greater ease as it is light-weight and has compliant spring. Meet Arun Cherian, founder of Rise Legs, the Bangalore based startup behind this innovative cane legs. Arun , it is a brilliant and game changing concept, please tell us a about your company and the idea? Rise Legs is a startup company with just four employees based in Bangalore. We make high quality, cost effective…
