Old Age Homes for the Elderly

CARE for the ElderlyPRESENTED BY : ROHIT SHARMACLASS : X

Changing world Scenario

The world will have more people who live to see their 80s or 90s than ever before.The past century has seen remarkable improvements in life expectancy.Soon, the world will have more older people than children.The world population is rapidly ageing.Low- and middle-income countries will experience the most rapid and dramatic demographic change.Source :WHO 20103Ageing: The Indian ScenarioIndia is one of the few countries in the world where sex ratio of aged is in favour of males.Population above 60 years-10% suffer from impaired physical mobility.10% Hospitalized at given point of time.Age more than 70 years-More than 50% suffer form 1 or more chronic conditions like Coronary heart disease, Cancer and Hypertension .4

4Problems faced by Elderly

Socio-demographic profile of the elderly in India.

75%48% 66%73%66%Source : Census 2011

Factors responsible for the negligence of ElderlyDemanding Behaviour Of Older People due to failing health. Nagging And Criticizing InterferingBeing Impatient

Experience of abuse and neglect An elder is physically abused when he/she is not attended by their caretakers who are in most cases family members. They need timely care (a) when they experience a simple head ache or back ache and cold (b) not being taken to the doctor when sick (c) not being served meals on time(d) not being helped with personal chores in spite of their assistance in the family chores Old Age People in Joint FamilyHOW TO ACHIEVE OPTIMUM ELDERLY CARE?Active advocacy at various levels of planning.

Need for reorganization of the facilities and approach.

Efforts need to be made to revive cultural values and reinforce the traditional practice of interdependence among generations.

Surveillance of the on-going programmes and evaluation of their effectiveness.Solutions for the ElderlyIncreasing AwarenessIncreasing awareness among physicians, mental health professionals, home health care workers and others who provide services to older adults and family members can help break patterns of abuse or neglect, and both the person experiencing the abuse and the abuser can receive needed help.Education is the cornerstone of preventing elder abuse. As most cases of abuse occur in the home by family members or caregivers, there needs to be a concerted effort to educate the public about the special needs and problems of older adults and the risk factors for abuse.

Education & Media Major Govt. initiativesNPOP agenda for health care for the elderly

Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act - 2007Article (20) : The State Government shall ensure

The Government hospital or Govt. funded hospitals shall provide beds for senior citizens as far as possible.Separate queues be arranged for senior citizens.Facility for treatment of chronic, terminal and degenerative diseases is expanded for senior citizensResearch activities for chronic elderly diseases and ageing is expanded Earmarked facilities for geriatric patients in every district hospital.

Respite care having someone else care for the elder, even for a few hours each week is essential to reducing caregiver stress, a major contributing factor in elder abuse. Respite care is especially important for caretakers of people suffering from Alzheimer's disease or of older people who are severely disabled. Area Agencies on Aging are a local resource for services that might help family caretakers find respite and in-home help with difficult care tasks, such as bathing, dressing and cooking.

Counselling for behavioural or personal problems in the family or for the individual with mental health and/or substance abuse problems can play a significant role in helping people change lifelong patterns of behaviour or find solutions to problems emerging from current stresses. If there is a substance abuse problem in the family, treatment is the first step in preventing violence against the older family member.

Advantages of Old Age Homes Old age homes are meant for senior citizens who are unable to stay with their families or are destitute. These old age homes have special medical facilities for senior citizens such as mobile health care systems, ambulances, nurses and provision of well-balanced meals. So they can live a healthy life. Good services and good behavior of the staff, food being palatable and wholesome are the main advantage of old age homes. Apart from food, shelter and medical amenities, old age homes also provide yoga classes to senior citizens. Old age homes also provide access to telephones and other forms of communication so that residents may keep in touch with their loved ones. The entertainment and library facilities are also available for the sole purpose of the senior citizens.Disadvantages of Old Age HomesSome elders are not taken care of properly.Some have to share rooms with others, and sometimes they dont get along.Generally children send their parents to old age home to stay away from them. Its not a good example for a country like India where old people are considered a lucky charm. Sometimes there is lack of facilities at these old age homes as well as lack of caretakers also. These old persons are left to themselves and there is no body that can take care of them at this age.Their management is profit driven. Patient care is low on their priority's. Employees are poorly trained. badly paid, and not usually treated well.

18Thank You