When the idea of using an adult diaper was first suggested to Narendra Mishra, now 75, his instant reaction was outright rejection. "Do you want to shame me? Am I so helpless? Is my life a burden?" he remembers asking his son.
Seven years ago, when the suggestion was first made, Mishra had no alarming health concerns. But a persistently low blood pressure made him dizzy if he got up suddenly, and chronic knee pain made walking to the toilet onerous. Nights were particularly challenging.
In a country where social conditioning has led us to believe that a marker of being a grownup is the ability to control bowel urges, and to clean up after oneself, Mishra's concern was not misplaced.
Dr Abhishek Shukla, senior geriatric physician who established Uttar Pradesh's first and only dedicated elderly care facility, Aastha Geriatric Hospital and Hospice in Lucknow, said a number of psychosocial reasons stood in the way of diaper acceptance. "As we age, there is natural functional decline in our five essential organs-heart, lung, liver, kidney and brain. This becomes difficult to accept as our conversations around healthy and graceful ageing are still nascent. There is an urgent need for seminars, awareness building and the like," Shukla said.
While incontinence, he said, could be age-related (for instance, the outcome of a natural weakening of the bladder and pelvic floor muscles), it could also result from a completely different cause such as hypocalcemia (too little calcium in blood), which when corrected would reverse the incontinence.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
A golden girl
One of India's most formidable beauties passed away earlier this month. The odd thing is she would absolutely hate this obituary; she hated being written about and avoided publicity for all of her nine decades. Indira Aswani was 93 when she died. But anyone who encountered her, even briefly, was in such awe of her grace and poise, and one could not but remember her forever.
The interest in wine is growing delightfully in India
The renowned British wine writer and television presenter Jancis Robinson, 74, recently came to Delhi and Mumbai to reacquaint herself with India's wine industry. This was the Robinson's fourth visit to India; the last one was seven years ago. On this trip, Robinson and her husband, restaurateur Nicholas Lander, were hosted by the Taj Hotels and Sonal Holland, India's only Master of Wine.
United in the states
Indian-Americans coming together under the Democratic umbrella could get Harris over the line in key battlegrounds
COVER DRIVE
Usage-driven motor insurance policies offer several benefits
GDP as the only measure of progress is illogical
Dasho Karma Ura, one of the world's leading happiness experts, has guided Bhutan's unique gross national happiness (GNH) project. He uses empirical data to show that money cannot buy happiness in all circumstances, rather it is family and health that have the strongest positive effect on happiness. Excerpts from an interview:
India is not a controlling big brother
Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay considers India a benevolent elder sibling as the \"big brotherly attitude\" is happily missing from bilateral ties. He thinks the relationship shared by the two countries has become a model of friendship not just for the region, but for the entire world. \"India's attitude is definitely not of a big brother who is controlling and does not allow the little brother to blossom and grow,\" says Tobgay in an exclusive interview with THE WEEK.
Comrade with no foes
Lal Salaam, Comrade Yechury-you were quite a guy!
Pinning down saffron
In her first political bout, Vinesh Phogat rides on the anti-BJP sentiment across Haryana
MAKE IN MANIPUR
Home-made rockets and weapons from across the border are escalating the conflict
SAHEB LOSES STEAM
Coalition dynamics and poor electoral prospects continue to diminish Ajit Pawar's political stock