World Health Day: Conference for healthy ageing at Sanjeevan Hospital

A free health checkup camp for the elderly was organized whereby a complete medical examination with free laboratory check-up, X-Ray test, dental checkup, ENT checkup, eco cardiography and ultrasound was also done.

On this day, National Medical Forum (NMF) also honored Mr. Baldev Raj Dutta, 102-year-old, Centurion as an Icon of Healthy Ageing.

Doctor Baldev Raj Dutta was born in Multan now in Pakistan on 23rd December 1920. He joined the royal British Indian Army has a Subedar and fought the World War 2.

The guest at the conference was, Shri D.R. Kaarthikeyan, Padma Shree Awardee, Former CBI Chief and President Age Care India, 

Elderly self-neglect is a public health issue that affects lakhs of older people each year in India. It manifests itself in an older person in the form of refusal or failure to provide himself/herself with adequate food, water, clothing, shelter, personal hygiene, medication, and safety precautions.

Self-neglect is associated with adverse outcomes concerned to older people's physical and psychological well-being, mortality, and health care utilization.

In the light of rapidly growing older population all the stakeholders, researchers, doctors, lawyers, journalists, policy makers must be aware about their responsibilities to stop this menace. Risk Factors for self-abuse and self-neglect

It is found that people with low economic resources are more likely to experience self-neglect but self-neglect affects elder across every education and economic data.

Diminished brain and physical activity is associated with more self-neglect. Small social networks and fewer social engagements are likely to cause more self-neglect.

Elderly self-neglect causes damage to physical and physiological well-being, high mortality, and increased hospitalization. The other patients who suffer nutritional deficiencies say no to medicines. They cause a greater healthcare burden, emergency admissions, hospitalization, re-admissions and long-term nursing home admissions.

Given the importance of proper education to the healthcare providers and society should be done. The science of self-neglect may be small but all people shall be conscious about noticing them. The first sign can be in lack of personal hygiene changes in nutrition and physical functions, missing doctor appointments, and medication refills.

A watchful approach shall help millions of elders and play a vital role in protecting older people from facing the adverse outcomes of elderly self-neglect.