A prominent geriatrician with the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), Dr Ilanye Bellgam has advocated for improved healthcare for the elderly in the country.
Dr Bellgam while speaking at the re-dedication and opening of Riverine Community Medical Centre in Port Harcourt last Saturday lamented that there was poor policies and programmes towards old people care.
She noted that old people make up 20 percent of the country’s population, and as such a policy framework was needed for their health care and needs.
With the rising Westernised lifestyle, she reasoned that a lot of elderly people were abandoned by their relatives and government to die early, stressing that old age should not be a time of misery and hardship.
To reverse the trend, Dr Bellgam tasked the federal government to build Old Peoples Homes in the six geopolitical regions in the country.
She proposed that one of such houses should be built in Port Harcourt, while harping on the need for old people to take their health serious.
In her paper, “Obesity: Causes and Consequences”, Dr Ugwu Adaeze of Internal Medicine at the UPTH explained the need for healthy diet at old age.
She stated that once a person is over 60 years, he or she must be careful on the kind of food consumed.
Dr Adaeze also blamed lifestyle and genes for the rising obesity, but however, advised against overeating, especially carbohydrate, “when the amount you take is more than the amount expended then there is a problem”.
Also, in a paper titled, “The Role of Geriatrician in Older Persons Healthcare”, Dr Enebe Francis of UPTH classified older persons as those 60 years and above.
Dr Francis said old age was not supposed to be a time of misery but a time to enjoy the rest of ones life, but however, stated that life expectancy in the country had gone down due to poor economy and health care.
The medical doctor is of the view that the geriatrician had a lot of role to play to improve the wellbeing of the old, since they are specialised in studying on how to care for the elderly people.
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