Veterans, youth join in 'walk event'

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, OCT. 1. Veterans joined school children and youth in a symbolic inter-generational `walk event' organised in the city to mark the observance of International Day for the Elderly.

The capital was among the over 3,000 such centres across the world to organise the "Global Embrace", a WHO endeavour aimed at spreading the message of active ageing.

This year's theme, "Active Ageing: Exercising Body and Mind" seeks to encourage ageing people to remain mentally and physically active even in post-retirement life.

The Health Minister, Mr. P. Sankaran, flagged off the rally, releasing a bunch of helium-filled balloons at the Central Stadium.

The rally which concluded at the Thiruvananthapuram Press Club comprised senior politicians, freedom fighters and representatives of NGO associations to represent the spectrum of experience, and school children and medical students to represent the spectrum of enthusiastic youth.

The event was organised by the regional unit of the Indian Geriatrics Society and the P. Sukumaran Memorial Trust. Participant NGOs included the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Society of India, Helpage India, Senior Citizen's Forum and District Mental Health Programme.

Later, addressing a meeting, Mr. Sankaran, stressed the need for extending specialised care for the elderly. The elderly, he observed, required a different treatment modality.

According to the Minister, Kerala's rapidly ageing society urgently required a mechanism to be put in place which would increase and improve infrastructure in allopathy, ayurveda and homoeopathy systems of medicine to extend specialised care for the elderly. He sought the increased participation from the private sector and NGOs in achieving this.

He called for a change in the contemporary mindset towards the elderly and noted that it was high time that society learned from the experience, expertise and skills of the elderly.

Mr. Sankaran pointed out that the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College had initiated a geriatric care programme, where patients above 60 years of age were provided specialised care and an out- patient clinic was being held once a week for the elderly in addition to the Continuing Medical Education programmes for physicians.

The Kerala University was also pursuing a proposal to draft a syllabus to start a post-graduate programme in geriatry.

The Minister pointed out there were an estimated 60 crore people above 60 years of age in the world and going by projections their proportions would soar to 120 crores by the year 2025.

The Minister outlined improvement in medicine, increased life expectancy and the collapse of social support consequent on the nuclearisation of families as some of the factors that contributed to the situation.

Mr. K. V. Surendranath, CPI leader and former MP, Mr. S. Krishnakumar, former Union Minister, Ms. Mallika Sukumaran, social activist, Dr. Madhusoodanan and Dr. Jothy Dev of the IGS, spoke.

The programme was followed by lectures by Dr. Shaji Prabhakaran ("Dementia in old age"), Dr. Jayarus ("Yoga in the elderly") and Dr. Meera ("Alzheimer's and Related Disorders).

A poster exhibition was also held.

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