ഒക്ടോബര്‍ ഒന്ന്‍ ലോകവൃദ്ധദിനം;വരും തലമുറകള്‍ക്കുവേണ്ടി സ്വന്തം  ആരോഗ്യവും ശരീരവും മനസും ചിന്തകളും നിസ്വാര്‍ത്ഥമായി സമര്‍പ്പിച്ച നമ്മുടെ മുതിര്‍ന്നപൗരന്മാര്‍ക്കുവേണ്ടി, നമ്മുടെ പ്രിയപ്പെട്ട   മാതാപിതാക്കള്‍ക്കുവേണ്ടി ഒരു ദിനം-- നമ്മള്‍ മറന്നുപോകരുതാത്ത ഒരു ത്യാഗത്തിന്റെ ബാക്കിപത്രമായി രോഗങ്ങളും ഏകാന്തതയും ഏറ്റുവാങ്ങി ജീവിക്കുന്നവര്‍ക്കുവേണ്ടി ഒരു ദിനംകൂടി.കേരളത്തില്‍2011-ലെ  കാനേഷുമാരി പ്രകാരം വൃദ്ധരുടെ എണ്ണം ഏകദേശം 12 ശതമാനം ആയതായാണ് കണക്ക്.ഇനി നമ്മള്‍ നമ്മുടെ ചിന്തകളിലും  ആസൂത്രണ പ്രക്രിയകളിലും  ഈ കണക്കുകൂടി നിശ്ചയമായും പരിഗണിക്കേണ്ടതാണ്.ഇതുകൊണ്ടുതന്നെയാവണം ഈ വര്‍ഷത്തെ ലോകാരോഗ്യദിനത്തിന്‍റെ ചിന്താവിഷയം “വാര്‍ദ്ധക്യത്തിലെ ആരോഗ്യം” എന്നായി നിശ്ചയിക്കപ്പെട്ടിട്ടുള്ളത്.നമുക്കും നമ്മുടെ മക്കള്‍ക്കുംവേണ്ടിമാത്രമായി  എല്ലാ കണക്കുകളും കൂട്ടിക്കിഴിക്കുന്ന നമ്മുടെ മനസിലെങ്കിലും മുതിര്‍ന്നവര്‍ക്കായി സ്വസ്തമായ ഒരിടം നമുക്കും കരുതിവയ്ക്കാം.എല്ലാ മനുഷ്യരും എത്തിച്ചേരുന്ന ഈ അവസ്ഥയുടെ പ്രത്യേകതകളിലേക്ക് നമുക്കൊന്ന് കണ്ണോടിക്കാം.വാര്‍ദ്ധക്യത്തെ അറിയുകയുംഅതിജീവിക്കുവാനുംസഹായിക്കുവാനുംസ്വയം തയ്യാറെടുക്കുകയും ചെയ്യാം. 

Geriatrics

The term geriatrics comes from the Greek  geron meaning "old man" and iatros meaning "healer".

Geriatrics IS the branch of health care dealing with the problems of aging and diseases of the aged; it is related to the science of gerontology, which is the study of the aging process in all its aspects, social as well as biologic. Geriatrics grows increasingly important as modern medicine and a rising standard of living lengthen life expectancy and increase the proportion of aged persons in society. It is a sub-specialty of internal medicine and family medicine that focuses on health care of elderly people which aims to promote health by preventing and treating diseases and disabilities in older adults. There is no set age at which patients may be under the care of a geriatrician. Rather, this decision is determined by the individual patient's needs, and the availability of a doctor.

An important part of geriatrics is helping older persons live happy and satisfying lives,encourage the patients to follow useful and interesting pursuits and to adopt a sound mental attitude toward aging itself. The prevention of disease is also important in geriatrics, and stress is placed on suitable exercise, rest, and nutrition, and on maintenance of proper body weight. Regular and thorough medical examinations are another essential factor in the control of illness.And there is also a concern for the older person's psychological welfare, such as social contacts, economic security, interest in living, work opportunities after retirement, and continuing sense of belonging to society. Geriatrics recognizes that health of mind is essential to the health of the body

Ageing is referred to the  accumulation of changes that render a person more vulnerable to death. Usually the term ‘old age’ is a reference to people who are at the end of an average lifespan or, to those who have exceeded it. In many societies retirement, usually after the age of 60-65, is the doorway to old age.

There was a time when it was thought that a silver streak in  a person’s hair was  the  first sign of ageing. But in these modern times of stress, pollution and diseases,  premature graying is the order of the day. Nevertheless, classical symptoms such as  liver spots on the skin, graying and loss of hair, diminished sight and hearing, reduced  agility and memory are some of the signposts along the path of ageing The branch of medicine dealing with old age, called ‘Geriatrics’ still remains an  ill-defined branch of medicine. The fact that the elderly have a set of physical and   psychological needs which are different from young or middle aged adults, was   traditionally ignored. ‘Geriatric psychiatry’ was a term ‘waiting in the wings’ -yet to be coined.  The discovery of antibiotics, in the latter half of the twentieth century, helped to  increase the number of the elderly substantially enough to be taken seriously.  Today older individuals comprise of an ever- expanding population thanks  to better treatment strategies for  chronic conditions including Coronary Artery  Disease (CAD) and Cancer. And Geriatrics, as a speciality, has almost come of age!  Chronic diseases and increased mortality  are often cited as  the hall mark of old age.  There is a long-standing belief that ageing and diseases  are  inseperable. However,  studies  have revealed that ageing is inevitable, but diseases are not. Nevertheless,  a correlation has been observed between age and  chronic diseases such as cardiovascular  diseases, diabetes,  cancer,  arthritis, osteoporosis, alzheimer’s and   dementia.  Older people are often referred to as  ‘seniors’ or  ‘elderly’ in an attempt to soften  the impact of the prejudice that exists towards them. Although growing old is an integral  part of the human  life span, old people are often discriminated against, often by their own family. This could  be because they are physically weak and need looking after or because they suffer from  mental changes due to conditions such as dementia. These changes, whether physical  or mental, may become a burden on the family. As an extreme manifestation, this  discrimination against the elders can lead to neglect and isolation and it is not uncommon  for elders to be totally abandoned.                                   GERIATRIC PROBLEMS Present scenario in INDIA •Cataract &Visual impairment- 88% •Arthritis &locomotion disorder-40% •CVD &HT – 18% •Neurological problems- 18% •Respiratory problems including Chronic bronchitis- 16% •GIT problems- 9% •Psychiatric problems- 9% •Loss of Hearing – 8%    GERIATRIC PROBLEMS can be classified as follows                                                HEALTH PROBLEMS PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS SOCIAL PROBLEMS Joint problems Impairment of special senses Cardio vascular disease Hypothermia Cancer, Prostate enlargement, Diabetes&Accidental falls Emotional problems Suicidal tendency Senile dementia,  Alzheimer’disease Poverty,  Loneliness, Dependency, Isolation, Elder abuse, Generation Gap  In general, most of common geriatric problems consist of 5 types, they are: 1. Cognitive Loss; including Alzheimer and dementia 2. Depression 3. Visual impairment 4. Joint pain  5. Hearing problems Cognitive loss means problems occur related to loss of memory. Include loss of reasoning,  concentration, intelligence, and other mental functions. This happened a lot in senior community.  Alzheimer and dementia are advanced form of cognitive problems. There is no cure for this  problems but antioxidant can be used as a treatment. Depression is a medical illness which intense feelings of sadness appeared. It also related to  low mood that affect someone’s behavior and thoughts. Some of senior feel depression  throughout their lives. Feel loneliness may be the most common factor behind depression.  If we have a relative who are geriatric one and feel depressed we should give our care to them. Visual impairment connects with some loss of vision. Sometimes even with eyeglasses  you may not see well. Visual impairment can be grouped into 3 degrees: low vision,  severe vision and legal blindness. Geriatric patient commonly have low and severe  vision that include glaucoma also. The treatment would be available by prescription  medication. Depends on the problem, whether you have cataract or glaucoma. You  should seek your doctor for immediate assistance. Regular screening is also recommended  for senior since this condition tends to grow as become older the person is. Joint disorder experienced by many elderly. This happened because as people grow  older the cartilage at the joint became weaker. Osteoarthritis is the example. Exercise  regularly is more like prevention rather than medication. Anti-inflammatory medications   may help relieve the pain even no cure for it. Hearing problems associated with sudden or gradual decrease in how well you can hear.  It is usually worsen when you become older. Almost half of geriatric patient have a problem  with hearing loss. It could be missing certain sounds and also total deaf. Using hearing   aids can help. But some medication or special training can be very helpful also.  Seek physician opinion regarding this matter, sometime surgery also an appropriate  option if you want to hear completely.