According to new estimates by the World Health Organisation (WHO), nearly 40 million people need palliative care every year, with an estimated 66% of these being over 60. Not only that, only 14% of those who need palliative care currently receive it. In spite of the staggering figures, there’s barely enough medical resources globally to treat moderate to severe pain in the elderly.
This has been a general trend in the developing countries of South Asia, where the increasing population and inadequacy of proper infrastructure as well as social support continue to hold back proper palliative care services & hospice. This means that millions of older people are living & suffering from unnecessary pain, and physical & emotional distress in countries like India.
One of the major reasons for these continuing suffering stems from the medical fallacy that palliative support is for patients suffering & recovering from cancer. According to Dr. Abhishek Shukla, geriatric physician and the head of the Aastha Old Age Hospital, “There is a misconception that palliative care is primarily for people with cancer. Those in need of palliative care dying from Alzheimer and other dementias, Parkinson disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, nephritis and nephrosis and cancer are predominantly in the over-60 age group and need palliative care.”
The restrictions imposed on pain relief medications also contribute to the highly ineffective palliative care in countries like India. As such, it is important to raise a global awareness towards palliative care, facilitating universal access to adequate palliative hospice, support, medications, supplies, and equipment. Simultaneously, it is equally necessary to encourage proper training in palliative care & support. However, regional initiatives are as important as global ones. To ensure this, local hospitals & healthcare facilities must come together to help the elderly in living a healthy & happy life till their last breath.
In this respect, Aastha Medical has taken up a great initiative with their Aastha Old Age Hospital venture. The center is well-equipped to provide high quality, person-centered and integrated palliative care & support to the elderly, and to individuals suffering from chronic illnesses.
Palliative care centres and geriatric medicine can help the elderly live with respect
As per the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates, about 78% of the estimated 40 million people in need of palliative care are from low & middle income countries. However, neither palliative care nor geriatric medicine are adequately available in the majority of these countries. This posits a significant problem for the elderly, as they continue to live & suffer in unnecessary pain & distress.
Several factors contribute to this inadequacy, including the restrictions on pain relief medications, social stigma, ineffective national health policies & systems, almost non-existent palliative care training, and so on.
Notwithstanding these, it is time for local, national & global organisations to step up with new person-oriented & integrated palliative care & geriatric medicine initiatives. Palliative care is an explicit human right, and medical centers & organisations must operate with full efficiency where geriatric medicine & palliative care are concerned and take optimum care of the elderly and individuals suffering from chronic illnesses.
New initiatives following this path can be located at both regional & pan-Indian scale. For instance, the Aastha Old Age Hospital is a venture of Aastha Medical, committed to ensuring that the elderly live their best lives healthily & happily till their very last break. The 30-bed hospice of the Aastha Medical takes complete care of the terminally-ill elderly, operating as a family unit along with the family members of the patients, physicians, nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists, dieticians, home-care aids, and social workers.
Not only that, the center also offers nursing assistance at home, along with ultra-modern diagnostic services and medical assistance. According to Dr. Abhishek Shukla, Director of Aastha Old Age Hospital, Aastha is not just a hospice where we meet the cure and comfort-oriented goals of the patients; rather it is something on a more emotional note.”
Palliative care and geriatric medicine can help improve the quality of life of the elderly patients and their families considerably. Specialized care from a qualified palliative center helps face challenges accompanying physical as well as psychological illnesses, ensuring that the patients live healthy & die respectfully, with their rightful medical treatment by their side.