Geriatric Health Program

Geriatric Health Program

• The objective is to enable older people to lead a full and active life, minimizing their dependence on others.
• The modern philosophy is to encourage older people to be active members of the community, with the community helping them to fight poverty, loneliness, and disease.

Services

• The goal is to achieve active and healthy aging, minimizing health hazards.
• The program offers promotive and preventive services, social welfare, health appraisal, and rehabilitative services.

Promotive and Preventive Care

• Health education is crucial, including importance of adaptation, exercise, and interest in life.
• Regular checking of eye glasses, hearing aids, dentures, and foot care is necessary.
• Avoiding unnecessary drugs, smoking, and alcohol is important.
• Home safety measures and safety education are essential.

Immunization

• Influenza, pneumococcal, and herpes zoster vaccines are recommended.

Nutrition Program

• Nutrition assessment, education, and supplementation are crucial.
• A balanced diet rich in vitamins, minerals, and fibers is recommended.
• Avoid excess calorie intake, sugar, salt, spicy food, and saturated fats.
• Frequent small meals and regular fluid intake are important.
• Special diets for diabetics and hypertensives are necessary.

Social Welfare

• Convenient living accommodations, recreational facilities, additional pensions, health insurance, and suitable jobs are provided to help older people adapt and fight loneliness.

Health Appraisal and Rehabilitative Services

• Periodic medical examinations are conducted to detect health issues early.
• Screening tests include hearing and vision checks, blood pressure, blood glucose, blood lipids, TSH, urine analysis, tonometry, mammography, PSA, and sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy.
• Geriatric assessment includes multidimensional, multidisciplinary evaluation of functional ability, physical health, cognition, mental health, and socioenvironmental circumstances.

Rehabilitation

• Objectives include helping individuals to be useful to their community and themselves, and not burden others.
• Rehabilitation services include physical, psychological, and social rehabilitation, as well as clubs, geriatric homes, home care, and limiting disabilities with aids like hearing aids, eye glasses, dentures, and walking aids.

Day Care

• Day care provides medical, rehabilitative, and cognitive support services, as well as transportation, nutrition, and recreational and social activity programs.
• Day care facilities screen and monitor chronic disorders, maintain or improve functional levels, improve self-image, and prevent loneliness, isolation, and withdrawal.

Respite Care

• Respite care provides temporary relief to regular caregivers through in-home care, community-based services, long-term care facilities, or hospital care.