Home Support For The Elderly - Why It Deserves To Be A Priority?

by Kanan James NGO INDIA

India will soon become the youngest country in the world by 2020 with approximately 64% of its citizens in the working age group. However, it also means that 36% of Indian citizens will be classified as elderly. The number will be around more than 100 million.

The worrying factor is that most of these elderly citizens live alone most of the time due to their children working abroad or not able to give them ample time. Also with the advent of nuclear family setup with both spouses working the elderly are prone to negligence to a large extent.

Since they are often alone at home and due to their failing mental and physical health they are often at risk. That’s why it is essential to have certain support mechanisms in place provide help for the elderly at home.

 These support mechanisms are commonly referred to home support for the elderly.

Laughter the best medicine

Living alone makes one suffer from depression the best cure for this is laughter. It leads to easing the tension and improvement in heart rate. Due to this several communities have started laughter clubs. Yoga therapy is combined with laughter which has several health benefits. So it will be a good initiative to get our elders inducted into laughter clubs. In-case there isn’t one nearby start a laughter club yourself and involve the elderly of your locality.

Domestic Help

Most of the elderly suffer from loneliness and this leads to them becoming depressive. Hiring a domestic worker will ensure they have a companion to talk to and look after their personal needs. They can cook food, wash the clothes as well as clean the place for the elderly.

Medical Care

Due to their failing health issues it's essential that the elderly are provided with proper medical care. A frequently occurring problem with them is that they forget to take medicine on time, don't go for regular health checkups. Hiring a nurse will ensure that they take medicine on time as well as note down their vitals such as blood pressure and heart rate. Apart from this, it gives the elderly a sense of satisfaction that they are being looked after.

Active Life

Active life here means they must do regular exercise to avoid stiffness in joints that may creep in due to advanced age. Regular morning walks, yoga therapy, as well as hiring physiotherapist, will go a long way in ensuring this. Regular game tournaments can also be arranged.

Emergency Equipment

Due to their advanced age they suffer from various risks. Having an equipment that will send out warnings in-case of an emergency situation is a good step. Since it is the age of smartphones there are various apps to provide home support for the elderly. 

For instance, the HelpAge SOSapp is programmed for this, it is also equipped with an SOS button. Various walking sticks have also been devised for this very purpose.

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Created on Aug 28th 2017 00:54. Viewed 1,120 times.

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