This article series describes the rise of chronic diseases in India as an effect of the increased number of elder people. The story explores the consequences of the rise of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), notably dementia, in a country that massively lacks affordable health-care facilities for those patients while traditional family structures are often dissolving. With the help of the German government organisation GIZ, India has established a health insurance for the poor which might also cover NCD care in the future. Could this become a model for other countries?