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There are many challenges faced by patients of Parkinson’s Disease (PD) in India: late diagnosis, social stigma, lack of education / awareness among patients / caregivers, lack of holistic approaches to managing PD and ND, lack of medical access among poor patients, and lack of support groups. SAAR’s mission is to address these challenges through the following:
Plans for the future:
Dr. V S Natarajan is a geriatric physician, considered by many as the Father of Geriatric medicine in India and known to be the first Indian professor in the discipline. He is also the founder of Geriatric Foundation, India. Dr. Natarajan is an awardee of one of India’s highest civilian honors, “Padma Shri”, for his pioneering contribution to the practice of geriatric medicine in the country.
Mr. Rajsekar is an accomplished professional, an entrepreneur and has been actively involved in the area of rural agriculture management, social & community development. Mr. Rajsekar is also a member of various executive and advisory committees for a number of NGOs which are involved in the welfare of differently abled persons in sports, arts & culture.
Dr. Natarajan is a leading neurologist in Chennai and consults at two reputed hospitals there. He is a former Professor of Neurology and Head, Institute of Neurology, Madras Medical College and Government General Hospital, Chennai. He is an MD, DM (Neuro) and an FRCP (Edinburgh). He is also a Commonwealth Medical Fellow from the UK. His areas of special interest include Headache, Epilepsy, Strokes and Parkinson’s Disease.
Dr. Shanthipriya’s story is about turning a personal adversity (as a YOPD patient) to giving back to society and making a difference to the lives of PD patients. As CEO, she drives all key activities of SAAR, including fund raising, marketing, member recruitment, designing programs to help member-patients live well despite PD.
As a Research Coordinator at SAAR, Shankar aims to utilize his passion for research and analytics in understanding how alternative and supplemental therapies such as exercise, Tai Chi and meditation can help slow the progression of PD and help improve the quality of life of patients.
Meena is the Chief Resident Dietitian at SAAR Foundation. She holds a Master’s in Home Science and a Diploma in Family Life Education. She is also a qualified Holistic Health Coach. She is a mentor for SAAR members, advising them on their dietary habits and helping them build customized diets, appropriate to their health condition.