AIIMS to adopt 50 physically challenged old-age people

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in association with an NGO will adopt 50 elderly people, who are economically and physically challenged, to provide them with various health care facilities. These senior citizens will be adopted from various old-age homes and societies as per their health requirements and access to health care facilities.

As part of the programme, the Geriatric Department of the AIIMS and the NGO 'Healthy Ageing India' will provide free medicines at their doorstep and also facilitate treatment and transport to the medical institute in the case of a medical emergency, said Dr Prashun Chatterjee of the AIIMS. The move came after a study initiated by the Geriatric Department of the AIIMS in multiple old-age homes in Delhi and NCR revealed that around 80 per cent of the home residents were devoid of any health facility.

The purpose of adopting elderly persons is not only to provide them medicine or health care but also to sensitise them towards a better lifestyle and diet management and exercise regiment on a regular basis

Dr. Prashun Chatterjee, AIIMS

Around 1,200 inmates living in 20 old age homes and around 4,000 from the society were interviewed during the study. According to the survey, most of the residents suffered from multiple health problems like diabetes, hypertension and coronary artery disease among others which need long-term medicines and regular monitoring to prevent further complication and long-term disability. In the survey, it was noticed that some age-related diseases like frailty, dementia, depression and frailty were highly prevalent among such people and called for medical intervention along with lifestyle and environment modification, Dr Chatterjee said.

"The purpose of adopting elderly persons is not only to provide them medicine or health care but also to sensitise them towards a better lifestyle and diet management and exercise regiment on a regular basis. These interventions are expected to improve the quality of the life of very elderly persons living in old age homes as well as those living in a society," Dr Chatterjee said. The study, he added, also found that on average, an elderly person spends around Rs 500-1000 on medicines. 

The Department of Geriatric Medicine, AIIMS in association with Healthy Ageing India had recently organised a participatory interactive session on "active ageing and stress management in late life" for senior citizens at Satyagrahy Auditorium at Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti to sensitise people about various old-age ailments and problems.