Geriatricians in the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital set store by a 92-year-old man who used to visit them regularly. They were amazed by his mental agility and physical ability to travel by bus and come to the hospital, sometimes only to say hello, and at other times to pick up medicines for blood pressure (BP). They were upset when he chose to return to his hometown a few years ago, as he felt he was ageing.
Geriatricians say such elderly persons strengthened their desire to study the Indian population and develop a protocol for healthy ageing.
On Thursday, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley gave wings to this dream when he announced in the Union budget that the Madras Medical College (MMC), to which the hospital is attached, would set up a ‘National Institute of Ageing’. The institute is an extension of the Central government-sponsored National Programme for the Healthcare of the Elderly, say geriatricians.
The aim of the institute is to replicate the services offered to children by the Institute of Child Health, says B. Krishnaswamy, former head of the Department of Geriatrics. At present, an elderly patient requiring an eye exam has to travel four km to the Government Eye Hospital. In an institute, there would be doctors dedicated to providing specialised services — be it ophthalmology, orthopaedic or an ENT check-up.
Ever since the geriatric block was commissioned in February, the hospital has been offering more services — there is a fall assessment clinic, a clinic for assessment of cognition, stroke and incontinence. Medical students explain the importance of staying healthy and eating right.
To address the needs of the elderly patients abandoned by their family, the department has roped in volunteers from non-governmental organisation ‘HelpAge India’. R. Muthukrishnan, senior manager of the NGO, says abandoned elderly persons are being given shelter in one of the many homes it has tied up with. Volunteers not only act as bridge between the hospital’s medical staff but also help to rehabilitate elderly persons, he says.
For the State, this budget announcement is the fulfilment of a project envisaged in the XI Five Year Plan. The State government had expected the project to materialise in 2012, but it did not take off owing to the strained relations between the State and the Centre at that time, a former government official said. That year, only Rs. 5 crore was received for the project, and the sum was used to set up a regional centre for geriatrics.
