kolkata music is being used as a modality of treatment and prevention of alzheimers dementia at institute of neurosciences kolkata ink music stimulates the brain and is known to enhance cognitive reserve we are using music therapy as a part of rehabilitation of these patients in the clinic patients are encouraged to use music as therapy at home as well said consultant neurologist sidharth sankar anand he was speaking at a programme on world alzheimers day at ink a specialist hospital that tends to patients of alzheimers and dementia two years of the pandemic have played havoc with the lives of patients suffering from alzheimers and other cognitive conditions like dementia stalling and deferring their treatment as these patients now start to visit hospitals doctors have found that their disease has worsened from mild to moderate or moderate to severe health experts apprehend a sharp rise in the disease burden in the coming days there is a clear worsening of the disease in about 50 of my patients of alzheimers and parkinsons post the pandemic these patients require regular follow up and also the need for adjusting medication every fourfive months as a result there is a rapid progression in the disease in many patients said senior neurologist hrishikesh kumar vicechairman inkapart from medication these patients need other supportive therapies among which social interaction is an important aspect social isolation due to covid has impacted these patients majorly with dementia having progressed rapidly in a significant number of patients said ananddebasish halder deputy director health services mental health with the state health department said there is no curative treatment for alzheimers but the disease progression can be restricted with timely intervention for which early detection is needed