Alzheimer's Disease

Srinidhi sat staring out of the window. She kept weaving her fingers and muttering something to herself, shaking her head rhythmically. Amba, Ambika and Ambalika, her daughters had all come to look her up when they came to know through Devika, the caretaker that their mother was very sick. Amba had flown in from Dubai, Ambika from London while Ambalika had come from Mumbai. They had made their bookings well in advance as they wished to celebrate their mother’s seventy fifth birthday in a grand manner. All three families had planned to visit a jungle resort in Nagpur and hold the celebrations there to enliven their mother’s spirits especially because she had not left home after the demise of their father some five years back. They had also not met together for a long time and so all of them were looking forward to the occasion.

They were therefore, disheartened to hear from Devika that their mother had been behaving strangely of late. A doctor was consulted who opined that her condition was suggestive of Alzheimer’s. Devika had taken the help of a neighbour and consulted a specialist who confirmed the same. Devika then called all the daughters and informed them that their mother had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and they may please come and decide the further course of action. She also made it clear that they were free either to continue her services or terminate it.

She had, however, a very soft corner for Madam since she first came to this house. Madam was one of the District Magistrates and held in high esteem. Her car had a siren and when Madam took Devika with her, she would feel elated, as otherwise she would never have had the opportunity to experience the thrill that accompanied power. Madam had a way with all around her. Whenever people came to meet her, she was very courteous and polite, but at the same time would not yield to pressure, and would stand her ground. Many a time, she had been approached with briefcases filled with money to lure her and approve projects, but she was never tempted and earned herself the reputation of being a very honest government official. Devika admired the speed and efficacy with which she dealt with the files that were sent home. Firstly, she would try to finish all the work in the office itself, but only when things were urgent did she permit the files to be sent home. She had set aside time for everything – family, her two pet dogs, kitchen and home. She devoted most of the time to her husband and daughters and every weekend they made it a point to spend at a resort. Her two pet dogs would happily wag their tails to receive her and would sit with her till she cuddled them. She would personally cook the meals while Devika would keep the vegetables cut and ready. Devika was assigned the task of keeping the house spick and span.

Srinidhi’s husband was the editor of a popular political weekly and was sometimes quite stressed when there was pressure on him to carry news articles suited to one lobby or the other. Madam would be there to comfort him and lend support. All three daughters were good in sports and studies and soon grew up into well accomplished women. They were married off into loving families and all of them were quite well off.

On the date of her retirement, when the farewell party was in full swing, her husband slumped to the floor and succumbed to a severe cardiac arrest. Since then, Madam was never the same. She would go about her daily routine, but would not mingle with anybody. Devika was her only companion and she took very good care of her Madam, as she would her own mother. Devika had accidentally entered their household. On one of her tours, Srinidhi had come across a man who would not even see his new born daughter as his wife had died giving birth to her. Srinidhi did not have any child of hers then and taking pity on her, brought her home. Within a year of Devika’s arrival, Amba was born. Devika grew up along with Amba and the other kids, but as she did not show any interest in studies, Srinidhi got her trained in arts and craft in which she excelled. Though Srinidhi got several alliances for Devika, she did not want to get married but wished to serve the society. In her free time, Devika would reach out to the nearby villagers and teach the women sewing and embroidery so that they could be self-reliant.

Amba, Ambika and Ambalika had their own children and occasionally they would make short trips to visit Srinidhi. None of the daughters took after Srinidhi or their father, Srikant. They were arrogant and haughty, throwing their weight around. Whenever they were home, Devika would have no respite running errands for them.

On hearing from Devika about their mother, the three of them changed their plans of visiting Srinidhi with their families, but came alone instead. They were in for a rude shock. Their mother, who was elegant, graceful and majestic, had suddenly shrunk into her own shell and either sat rambling incessantly or stared at empty space. Her replies were irrelevant and incoherent. She would sometimes tug at her kurta as if wanting to remove it. Devika sat by her whole day, comforting her.

At dinner that night, the topic of who should look after Srinidhi came up. Before anybody could say anything, Amba was quick to point out that Srinidhi would find it difficult to stay in Dubai. Her husband was touring frequently and so she said that she could contribute some money towards her maintenance bur she could not take the responsibility of looking after her. Ambika said that the unpredictable English weather would not suit Srinidhi who already had wheezing problems. Ambalika cited the fact that as her daughter was in the family way, she would be called in to assist her. Srinidhi was in her recliner when her daughters were discussing thus, apparently lost to the world and singing a song on the top of her voice.

“Oh my God! What has happened to Mom? If I take her with me to Mumbai and she starts singing like this, the neighbours won’t spare me. As it is, we have a mentally challenged child in the flat opposite ours. With my daughter in the tenth standard, I will not be able to look after Mom. Best thing would be for us to get her admitted in a hospice or some such institution.” Amba immediately chipped in – “Do you know how much it will cost?” Ambika continued, ”Whatever may be the cost, since we will not be able to look after her, we must find a solution. Her pension if I am not mistaken, her pension alone must be able to take care of it.”

All the three then went to Srinidhi’s room and started rummaging through the files in her cupboard. They found some old Fixed Deposit Receipts which had been encashed. It then struck them that they had not seen what their father had left behind. Now that Srinidhi had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, she would be in no position to operate her accounts or keep track of her investments. They decided to go to the various banks the next day and speak to the Branch Manager about it.

In the meanwhile, they opened the safe in the cupboard and laid out all the jewellery on the table. The site then turned into an auction venue with each of them vying with the other to take home the best collections! Srinidhi had a good taste for jewellery and though each item was not heavy, the patterns were very elegant and designed for all seasons. Within half an hour, they had compromised and taken away with them almost equal value of jewellery. Srinidhi was now left with only what was on her person.

Next, they attacked the wardrobe. The eldest of them suggested that they should get some nighties, for that would be all that their mother needed if she stayed in an institution. Once again, they had heated arguments and ultimately ransacked the wardrobe and took away all the saris.

The next morning saw them all trooping into one bank after another with the pass books they could lay their hands on. Everywhere they drew a blank. No Manager would entertain them without the Heirship Certificate and when their mother was very much alive, the question of getting such a certificate did not arise. Cutting a sorry figure, they returned home to see their mother standing on the balcony with her hair dishevelled, gesticulating and talking loudly to no one in particular. Devika was by her side calming and braiding her hair. Once done, she seated her in the recliner and went to get her lunch.

Devika herself was in tears. Madam had been so methodical in all that she did. The dishes she prepared were always very tasty. Now, she was eating what was fed to her, without knowing what it was or how it tasted. Before she could finish feeding Madam, all the three daughters had sat at the table shouting for lunch to be served.

Devika was taken aback at this kind of behaviour of not one but all daughters! How cultured their parents were! Not a bit had rubbed off on them. Each of them was keen on knowing what would be her share of the property! After lunch, the three heads started working out the net worth of their mother. They had succeeded in updating the passbooks from three banks and as on date, the balances in the savings accounts amounted to about Rs. 8 lacs. They could not lay their hands on the Fixed Deposit Receipts and so could not have an idea of its value. Suddenly one of them had a brain wave – “Just go through the entries in the passbook. We will surely get to know the amounts transferred to Fixed Deposits as they would have been routed through the account.”

Sure enough, after scrutinising each and every pass book, they got to know that Fixed Deposit Receipts to the tune of Rs.46 lacs had been issued about six months back. In all probability they would have been issued for a period of at least three years. The next thing on their agenda was valuation of the house and land surrounding it. Not for a moment did any one of them think of the most enjoyable moments they had spent in the house. As far as they were concerned, they had all settled down and there was no chance of them relocating. It was impossible for any of them to come back to this house. The best option, therefore, would be to sell the property and share the proceeds.

How they could do it was a question which could not be answered easily. Even if they managed to get a doctor certify their mother’s condition, nothing could be done as long as she was alive.

Devika was disgusted with their attitude. She regretted having informed them in the first place. What a dignified life Madam had lived and now to be treated like this by her own children was too much for her. She mustered up courage and brought up the burning topic during dinner. ”So, Didis! What have you all decided? I do not have any means of withdrawing money from Madam’s account. All the money that I had will be just enough to take care of this month’s expenses. How can I manage thereafter?” 

There was pin drop silence. No one answered her. On the contrary, they told her one by one that they would be leaving the next day. Devika did not feel like asking them anything any further. She went off to Madam’s room with a glass of milk and tears welling up within her.

Madam, as had been her practice for the last few months, was staring blankly into space, but Devika seemed to discern a sly smile on her face. She made Madam drink the milk little by little, feeding her as she would a child. She wiped her lips and gave her the medicines she had got from the Consultant. She then buried her face in Madam’s lap and wept uncontrollably. There was no reaction from Madam. Devika lamented about the trio who were raised so lovingly but yet, seemed to have no compassion whatsoever, but were only filled with greed. Half consoling herself, she talked that she planned to pledge the gold ornaments Madam had given her so that she could meet one month’s maintenance expenses. She said that she planned to open a boutique in the house. She would approach her students to advance her some money to buy the materials to begin with. Once the orders started coming, she could even employ some of them. She hoped that she would be able to earn enough to maintain the same standard of living that Madam was accustomed to.

Once the three daughters left, she proposed to get a Doctor’s certificate and submit it to the Bank lest they freeze her pension. She could ask the domestic help to be with Madam when she went to the Bank. From the coming month, she thought of doing away with the maid so that she could save some money. With all these thoughts in her mind, she tried to go to sleep. She had overheard that all the three sisters planned to go to Mumbai first and then to their homes. Their flight was at 11 a.m,, which meant that they would leave home by 7 o’ clock, giving them sufficient margin.

She got up early in the morning, prepared breakfast and packed some aloo rotis for them. She then went to Madam’s room, and wishing her a good morning with a bright smile on her face, gave her a wash, brushed her teeth, combed her hair and seated her on her favourite recliner. While the greedy trio attacked the breakfast as if they were hungry for ages, she made coffee for Madam and attended to her needs.

At 7 sharp, the taxi arrived and without so much as bidding their mother good-bye, they all left.

Devika was now all alone with Madam. She hugged her and the tears started flowing down her cheeks. After a while, she controlled herself and got up to go to the kitchen. She felt as if as if someone tugged her dupatta. 

She turned back to see a smiling Madam. She could not believe her eyes! “Madam”, she burst out. “Yes, my dear! I am fine! I was just pretending in order to know who’s who. The doctor you first met is our family doctor and the consultant is my school mate. I had already taken them into confidence before you took me to them. I am glad I did what I did. You can see for yourself how their attitudes changed. They even went to the extent of thinking about Heirship Certificate and all I had already drawn up my will before I thought of this drama. You have been more than my daughter, rather I can say that you are my first daughter. Only after you came into my life, my other children were born. You may be surprised to know that Srikant too loved you a lot! Do you know to whom he has left all his earnings? The selfish trio, I am ashamed to say who were delving into my cupboard, fortunately did not come across their father’s investments. Otherwise they would have been mad at you with jealousy. When Srikant made his investments, he took me into confidence and told me that he wanted to see you comfortably settled and happy. Since you were not keen on getting married, he invested all his savings in both our names and yours, such that after him, I will be the beneficiary and after me, the money will be yours. The investments today are worth nearly Rs. 90 lacs. I too have made up my mind and propose to name you as the beneficiary of all my movable and immovable assets. I do not wish to leave a single paisa to the selfish gang”. Devika could sense the anger seething within her. Never had she seen Madam in this light before.

She went inside and got her a glass of water. “Madam,” she said. “It is all very well for you to be happy with me but I earnestly hope that you will change your mind. If they come to know that I am the sole beneficiary of the assets of both their parents, one cannot imagine as to what extent they may go to, in order to inherit the property. I am happy with your love and blessings. Kindly will your property to your own daughters. In fact you may set aside a small portion in my name and share Uncle’s property among them”. Srinidhi lovingly caressed Devika. Now there was no need to pretend having Alzheimer’s disease.