The afternoon sun is already overhead, when a bunch of 70-year-olds stream into Gate No. 2 at the heritage premises of Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital in Girgaum. At the entrance, the security — now a familiar face — greets them, as they trudge towards the vintage elevator at the lobby. For a hospital visit, this group looks rather animated; it-s hard to tell that for the next 90 minutes or more, they-ll be under the scrutiny of a team of doctors. But, that-s what Dr Arun B Shah, consultant neurologist, envisioned when he admitted them into what he describes as the Memory School.

A first-of-its-kind initiative in the city, the school, which runs out of a spacious air-conditioned room inside the hospital, saw its first batch of around 10 students in August, this year. Since then, it has been conducting two classes every week — on Monday and Thursday — between 2 pm and 3.30 pm. Its patrons are all senior citizens with dementia. At present, they are offering batches comprising 12 R22,000 and 24 sessions R36,000 each. The syndrome is an umbrella term used to describe anyone who suffers from gradual decline in cognitive activities, like loss of memory, language functions or ability to think, says Shah.