The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Geriatric house call programme reviewed

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Wednesday, Apr 09, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Geriatric house call programme reviewed

Staff Reporter

— Photo: S.R. Raghunathan

USEFUL INPUTS: Retired Major General Aban Naidu (left) presents the first copy of a book on geriatric care to Senior Citizens Bureau chairman V.S. Natarajan at a function in Chennai on Sunday. M. Singaraja, Bureau general secretary, is in the picture.

Chennai: A team of doctors associated with the recently-launched house call programme in the city for geriatric patients met on Sunday to discuss how their services could be improved.

V.S. Natarajan, chairman of the Senior Citizens Bureau and a geriatric physician, said the programme had proved very useful to several elderly patients with impaired mobility. At present, 41 doctors, 15 physiotherapists and five psychologists have offered to make house calls to care for the elderly.

“Many of the patients and relatives are glad that a doctor can come to see them and tell them what to do at a time of crisis,” said Dr. Natarajan.

Physician C. Venkatesan said he had come across cases where, apart from medical help, basic geriatric care needed to be addressed.

For example, in the case of a bed-ridden, elderly man, Dr. Venkatesan pointed out that the patient’s room had a window opening to the west and the summer sun added considerable heat to the room.

This had exhausted the patient.

For more details on the house call programme, call 26412030, 26282018 or 28231388.

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