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| The expectancy of life has increased significantly in the last few decades. The trend is likely to persist in the coming years, and expectancy of life at birth may well surpass 80 years in most countries of the world, including India. Our Society is rapidly undergoing change increasingly women, who are the traditional caregivers for the elderly are taking to work. Many in the working generation leave the state in search of jobs. So we are faced with a situation where in the elderly are increasing in numbers and living longer while the number of care givers are rapidly decreasing. This is reflected by a rapid increase in old age homes. |
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| The old age homes for most part do not offer anything by the way of healthcare maintenance. The problem is compounded by the lack of adequate insurance coverage for the elderly. To meet this acute need of comprehensive geriatric assessment, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre hosts a separate Geriatric department with a team of healthcare personnel's- Geriatrician, Geriatric nurses, Medical Social worker, Geriatric Physiotherapists, Occupational therapist, Speech therapist, Nutritionist etc., This is the first of the kind in India which started functioning in January 2001. The benefit for the comprehensive geriatric consultation is that patient can meet all the team members at the same time during their visit. Geriatric medical care differs from usual medical practice because the focus is on preservation of function and improving the quality of life rather than on investigating, diagnosing, treating and curing specific diseases. This means that Geriatrician must deal with the patient's social and psychological problems as well as his/ her medical problems and also frequently work with the family or caregivers who are assisting the older person. |
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