New Delhi, Sept. 27 -- India must place dementia prevention, earlier identification and caregiver support at the heart of its public health response to ageing, policymakers, clinicians and civil-society leaders said at the Hope for Dementia Conclave 2026, held in New Delhi on Saturday.

The conclave was organised by Hope Ek ASHA as the organisation marked 25 years of working with people living with dementia and their families. It brought together specialists in neurology, psychiatry, geriatrics, caregiver training and dementia services to discuss how India can prepare for a rapidly growing need for diagnosis, care and support.

A nationally representative LASI-DAD study published in Alzheimer's & Dementia in 2023 estimated that 7.4 per ce...