1.1 Need for the study

1.1 NEED FOR THE STUDY

• In India, increasing lifespan and decreasing fertility rates have resulted in a growing number of older persons. By 2050, people over 60 years of age are predicted to constitute 19.1% of the total population. In India, there are more then 5.3 million people today suffer from some form of dementia /

Alzheimer's disease and at least 44 million people live with mental illness worldwide. Despite the magnitude: there is gross ignorance and lack of awareness in India which are the main source for very low diagnosis.

• In India, the current capacity of treatment centers and aid organizations are pathetically insufficient compared to desired needs. The lack of such specialized care facilities forces people to place dementia and Alzheimer's patients in non-specialist care homes that do not specialize in dementia.

• Most care facilities do not offer the necessary medical requirements. Most of the existing facilities are bungalows or rental apartments in a building run by private NGOs. Despite the efforts of these organizations, architectural interventions that could benefit the healing process are lacking.

• The ageing population is growing as well as changing, so it is time we think about the architecture for them.

Fig 1.1.2 ADI report on dementia in India Source The times of India