Kerala will knock on every door: annual memory checks for everyone over 60

Growing old in Kerala is about to come with a standing appointment. The state has announced annual cognitive screening for every resident aged 60 and above — an extraordinary undertaking in a state where one in six people is already a senior citizen, a share expected to reach nearly one in four by 2036. Village health workers and local clinics will carry the screening into rural homes, city elders will be reached through the existing Vayomithram network, and memory clinics are planned for all 14 districts, with a dedicated dementia centre in each within three years. Families won't be left to cope alone either: caregivers get training and respite care, and a state registry will track who has been screened. Catching dementia early can't cure it — but it can give families time, plans, and support instead of a crisis.