The state should do more to look after the aged population
The proportion of the aged in the population of our country is steadily increasing from 1/5th and is likely to double fairly fast. Among the factors that contributed to the increase in such an age group are welfare measures relating to health care and the subsidized state assistance.
The most important service required, in the case of the elders is health service. In our country elders are treated by the same set of medical professionals who treat the general population. Without fear of contradiction it could be asserted that Geriatrics is a relatively unavailable branch of medicine in our country. It may be taught as one of the subjects but the prevalence as a popularly studied specialty is not as visible as the other specialties or even subspecialties.
Subject to correction it is observed that the available Geriatricians could be counted on the fingers of the hand. It is high time that the state, professionals and even the general public call for the appointment of Geriatricians as much as that of the Nutritionists. Both are important branches to be taken care of.
Elderly patients who mainly seek treatment from national hospitals face the following drawbacks: Extremely protracted waiting times for consultations, access to medicines and other services Overcrowding
Long delays in being able to access in-patient care Unavailability of certain drugs and medicines Shortages of laboratory facilities and scanning equipment Limited access to specialized treatment, diagnos- tics and out-patient care The inability to make appointments, since most government hospitals do not operate with the appointment system. These deficiencies have led to “hastened senile decay of the aged”, preceded by avoidable suffering, as many doctors as a habit consider sickness of the aged as something to be expected and needing no special care.
In this work a day world, especially in a developing country like ours, the children cannot be burdened with caring for the aged because unless they concentrate on their immediate family and their own vocation/profession, their family units would suffer the consequences.
It is imperative that the state steps in. The financial deficiency of elders especially those without a monthly income (pension, dividends, interest on deposits etc) must be looked into. There must be a living pension and those who draw less must be subsidized by the state. We do have the welfare state concept but sometimes it appears to be only a token service. A comprehensive study should be done to provide the essential services to elders who do not have family assistance or charitable assistance to look in to their welfare.
What is required is a caring state, caring state apparatus both central and local, caring neighbourhood, caring siblings, and caring progeny. It is an interlinked process when a little more care from all these components can make life more tolerable, more comfortable.