Health Systems to Take Care of Seniors

Today, the healthcare industry has undergone a massive transformation and since people are living for longer, the need for the healthcare services have also risen up significantly. So, is the current health care system able to meet up with the rising demand? Let's find out here.

 The Aging Population

  The Population Census made in 2011 found out that there are actually 104 million elderly persons who are sexagenarians and above in India and of them, about 53 million are females and 51 million are males.

So, we need to find out about the current health scenario of elderly people and also some of the health tips for seniors.

 The Senior Citizens Health Problems

Now people are living for longer but when it comes to health care there has not been much improvement, as diseases are on the rise and more and older people are suffering from diseases such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease, hypertension, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer and so on.

 The Government of India has adopted a program known as the National Policy on Older Persons (NPOP) in 1999 and especially the Section 20 of the “The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007” emphasizes upon the provisions for medical care of Senior Citizen. This program promises a lot of facilities for the elderly.

So what are the services that the program offers? It provides curative, preventive, program and rehabilitative services for the senior citizens in a number of health facilities run by the Government. This is especially helpful for the older citizens who have a tough time coping with a number of ailments. 

Here are a few ways that can help the elderly sort out things and help cope with their day to day difficulties a little better.  Check out some of the health tips for seniors. 

• Delivery at the doorstep - It is difficult for older people to go out to markets to get their everyday essential things. But with the internet, things have become as easy as getting things done by the press of a button. It is imperative that they are taught various methods to shop online and use apps that will help them get things delivered right at their doorstep.  
• Make the house safe - If you are someone who is connected closely to an elderly, you can take steps to make things more comfortable for them and also more accessible. The hacks are simple to have more hand supports around the house so they can move around without any difficulty. Add more lights so, that the passage area is more lighted and there is no possibility of them slipping and falling over, have anti-skid floors installed to help them walk more easily.
• For emergency purposes – Teach the elderly in your family or around your neighborhood or the latest gadgets or technology such as the GPS capability, which can help locate a lost elderly easily.

Technology can come to the aid of the elderly if used in the right way. It is important that the younger people living around them make them aware of such technology so that they can use it at the time of emergencies.