Propelled into action by the suffering of relatives and patients afflicted with the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) and Alzheimer's disease, family members and doctors have joined hands to set up the Motor Neurone Disease Association of India and the Alzheimer's and Related Disorders Society of India to help patients deal with these debilitating disorders.

Both organisations recently held meetings in the Capital in an effort to bring together patients, people who look after them and experts from all over the world to formulate strategies to better deal with the diseases. Members of both associations hope to fund research and train people to make the last years of a patient's life a little more bearable.