The Department of Health (DOH) Central Luzon Center for Health Development (CLCHD) strengthens programs that will improve the quality of life of senior citizens.
DOH CLCHD Non-Communicable Diseases Cluster Senior Health Program Officer Agnes Alipio said they are implementing the Healthy and Productive Ageing Strategic Framework to ensure better health for all aging Filipinos through the provision of health service package and integration of continuum quality of care in various settings.
“Under this framework, we have four core strategies including health promotion, disease prevention, curative, and long-term care, which we are implementing in collaboration with different national government agencies, non-government organizations, and other stakeholders,” she said.
When it comes to health promotion, Alipio said that older people should be educated and reminded on how to remain healthy by being physically active, refraining from smoking and drinking alcohol, eating healthy and nutritious foods that are appropriate for their age, getting enough rest and sleep, and promoting spiritual and psychosocial well-being to avoid stress and anxiety.
It is also important to educate the elderly on prevention from communicable diseases such as pulmonary tuberculosis pneumonia, and Covid-19; as well as non-communicable ones like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hypertension, and diabetes.
“For the primary prevention, we offer free immunization against flu and pneumonia. For the secondary prevention, screening for early detection of chronic diseases including common types of cancer is important. And for our tertiary prevention, there should be appropriate clinical management of diseases to mitigate their severity,” Alipio shared.
Aside from this, she also explained about the geriatric syndrome to watch out for including dementia, delirium, depression, constipation, urinary incontinence, frailty, sensory deficit, and other degenerative diseases.
“The elderly are more vulnerable and more prone to injuries due to these conditions. That’s why if we are aware of these, we can better support and take care of our elderly to avoid accidents,” she said.
On the curative aspect, Alipio said the DOH is working on increasing affordable access to essential safe medications and ensuring appropriate cost-effective use of current and new drugs.
She added that the agency is also putting emphasis on the role of various stakeholders in ensuring long-term care for the elders, including family support, and a broad range of community services like public health, primary care, home care rehabilitation services, and palliative care.
To ensure proper implementation of these strategies, Alipio said the government is geared towards strengthening health systems.
Primary to these is strengthening policy and governance to have an enabling environment for the enactment of policies related to the welfare of senior citizens, and ensure that funding for these programs will be available for proper implementation.
DOH is also equipping health facilities across the region with the necessary logistics and commodities to ensure the provision of essential services for the elderly.
“We also capacitate our health workers to be able to provide effective health services to our senior citizens,” Alipio said.
Regulatory standards are also established and enforced to ensure the provision of quality health services and continuum of care.
In addition, strategic information is available, and regular monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for the various programs related to senior citizens welfare are in place.
As of October 7, the population of senior citizens or those aged 60 and above in Central Luzon is at 1,120,977.
Life expectancy of Filipino men and women, according to the World Health Organization, is 67 years old for males and 73 years old for females. (CLJD/MJSC, PIA Region 3-Pampanga)