The mild-to-moderate dementia suffered by Mr Saravanamuthu Marimuthu, 71, means he cannot remember to brush his teeth or have a bath in the morning, much less take the eight tablets he needs every day for his chronic illnesses.
If there was no one to give him a change of clothes after his shower, he would keep wearing the same things.
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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on May 26, 2019, with the headline Facing dementia alone. Subscribe