The Maruthoorkadavu Residents’ Welfare Association in the capital, which has close to 400 houses as part of it, is planning a host of activities to address mental and physical health issues faced by senior citizens in the locality.
Steps to reduce isolation and maintain interaction with the larger society, fall-proof modifications inside houses, training in usage of digital equipment and social media are part of the initiatives.
At a meeting of the residents' association on Sunday, the participants were enthusiastic about the proposals, which would be implemented by the community members themselves, after forming smaller groups to coordinate the activities.
Preventing falls
"We have come across recent reports that falls inside houses are a major cause of hospitalisation for senior citizens. All of the 46 participants in the meeting on Sunday agreed to the proposal for installing grab bars in bathrooms and bedrooms. Depression is also a huge issue among senior citizens, whose interactions reduce considerably after a point. So, we decided to identify activities which each of them like and form groups of like-minded senior residents, be it playing cards or singing. We will also be forming smaller groups of residents who will regularly visit senior citizens, who cannot move outside their houses, and interact with them," says M.P. Anilkumar, secretary of the residents' association.
The meeting chose coordinators for each of the different activities. Health Action by People (HAP), an NGO which is collaborating with the Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA) for similar activities in various panchayats, will be helping them in implementing it.
"The aim of these initiatives is to improve the quality of life of senior citizens and prevent conditions like dementia. Constant interactions can help prevent dementia. We have been trying similar steps in a few panchayats like Nellanad and Pullampara," K. Vijayakumar, former head, Department of Community Medicine, Government Medical College Thiruvananthapuram, and Secretary of HAP.
