Geriatric Health

Learning Outcome
• 1. Define the elderly and geriatrics health
• 2. Outline the health needs of the elderly
• 3. Outline the measures to improve the health and social
well-being of the elderly
• 4. State the roles of government agencies and NGOs in the
health needs of the elderly in Malaysia
• Elderly :
Chronological age of 65 years old or older.

• Geriatric Health :
Branch of medicine concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and
prevention of disease in older people and the problem specific to
aging.
• number of people aged 65 older
will outnumber children under
age 5.
• Driven by falling fertility rates
and remarkable increases in life
expectancy, population aging
will continue, even accelerate.
• number of people aged 65 or
older is projected to grow from
an estimated 524 million in 2010
to nearly 1.5 billion in 2050,
with most of the increase in
developing countries.
 Health needs of the elderly
• The aging process changes both the body & mind
• Many aging changes = physiological in nature
(as the body begins to degenerate and break down)
• Along with these physical changes>>>emotional variations can also
occur.
• Declining health : chronic diseases, physical disabilities, mental
illnesses, other co-morbidities
 Measures to improve the health and social
well-being of the elderly
• Community based geriatric health-care program
• Strong political commitment and social action are imperative for the effective
implementation of customized policy at the grass root level.

• Other measures :
o improvement in the health knowledge of the elderly about potential risk factors
o social measures like developing a culture wherein children voluntarily take the
responsibility of looking after their aged parents and regulatory mechanisms, which
make it obligatory for the members of society to look after their elder parents
• development of a health insurance scheme to cover their health-care needs
• development of pension schemes with contribution from employee, employer and
government
• advocating the construction of elderly-friendly houses/roads/staircases
• promotion of primary prevention to inculcate healthy life-styles in early adulthood
• information, education and communication strategies toward three broad groups
namely elderly persons, the middle aged who would move into elderly age group in the
near future and younger people who are the potential care providers for their elderly
parents/relatives regarding the issues of hygiene, nutrition, physical exercise, avoidance
of tobacco and alcohol, accident prevention measures and awareness about recognition
of early signs/symptoms of common geriatric problems
• training and re-training of medical and paramedical staff to
effectively understand the special health needs of the elderly
• immunization services
• necessity of periodic health assessment in early detection of
conditions
• provision of prostheses and other medical aids
• development of gerontology units
 Roles of Government agencies and NGOs

• Government has come up with the National Policy for Older Persons
and in concordance with that policy, the National Advisory and
Consultative Council for Older Persons was set up and through it, a Plan
of Action for the Older Persons is established.
• Department of Social Welfare under the Ministry of Women, Family and
Community Development, Malaysia is the secretariat for the Council and
serves as the focal point for all issues related to ageing.
National Policy for Older Persons
• “TO ENSURE THE SOCIAL STATUS, DIGNITY AND WELL BEING OF OLDER PERSONS AS
MEMBERS OF THE FAMILY, SOCIETY AND NATION BY ENABLING THEM TO OPTIMISE
THEIR SELF POTENTIAL, HAVE ACCESS TO ALL OPPORTUNITIES AND HAVE PROVISION
FOR CARE AND PROTECTION.”
• The Health Ministry provides medical and health services for older persons
including establishing Geriatric Care Units at the Seremban Hospital and
General Hospital Kuala Lumpur.
• Most health clinics in the country implement health care for older persons
which cover the whole spectrum of services to encompass health promotion,
prevention of ailments and rehabilitative services.
• Major hospital have special counters for older persons to receive their
medication
• Tax relief for family members who spend up to RM 5,000 per calendar year
for the medical expenses and purchases of special appliances for their elderly
parents.
 THE ROLE OF NGOs

• play a complementary role in helping the Government to meet the

social needs of older persons in the country.
• Based on data from the Registrar of Societies, there were 30,907 NGOs
registered in May 2000, of which 3,218 were welfare related.
• The majority of NGOs provide institutional care and shelter for older
persons in need.
 References
• International Journal of Preventive Medicine Wolters Kluwer -- Medknow
Publications

• SOCIAL WELFARE POLICIES AND SERVICES FOR THE ELDERLY: A COUNTRY REPORT
(MALAYSIA)

• Age and Ageing Vol. 33 No. 5  British Geriatrics Society 2004 https://
academic.oup.com/ageing/article-abstract

• WHO global health and aging http://www.who.int