Andhra Pradesh to launch door-to-door elderly health drive in October: Health Minister
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The initiative will include awareness programmes on healthy ageing, hypertension, mental health, physiotherapy and rehabilitation, says Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav. | Photo Credit: File photo
Special medical programmes will be conducted across Andhra Pradesh in October to identify health problems among elderly people at an early stage and provide necessary medical services, Minister for Health, Medical and Family Welfare Satya Kumar Yadav said.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, on the eve of the International Day for Older Persons on October 1, the Minister said healthcare teams would reach elderly people at their homes instead of waiting for them to visit hospitals. The teams would provide medical services, health check-ups, physiotherapy and rehabilitation services.
Measures were being taken to ensure that every frontline health worker visited the homes of at least five elderly people every week to provide physiotherapy and other services, he said.
Using the Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) tool, health information would be collected through questionnaire-based assessments from at least 1,000 elderly people at each district and area hospital. Appropriate treatment and care would be provided based on the information collected, he said.
Awareness programmes would also be conducted on healthy ageing, early detection of diseases, hypertension, mental health, physiotherapy, rehabilitation and specialised healthcare for elderly people. Special medical services would be available for elderly people at Primary Health Centres every Thursday, Mr. Satya Kumar said.
Special medical teams had visited 74 government-recognised old-age homes across the State last October. During the visits, specialists found that 18.8% of the elderly people had symptoms of depression, 9.8% experienced frequent falls, 7.5% had memory-related problems, 2.1% had both memory problems and depression, and 6.4% had more than one age-related health problem.
The teams also identified difficulties in essential daily activities, including cooking, purchasing groceries, travelling or going outside the home, and carrying out routine activities independently. Those identified through the survey were provided with counselling, treatment and other support services, the Minister said.
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