Saudi health care program for the elderly commended

(MENAFN- Arab News) The International Conference for Geriatric Medicine and Care for the Elderly, organized recently by King Fahd Medical City under the theme "Ageing Diseases, Hope and Reality," called for the establishment of a geriatric association in the Kingdom to provide specialized services of geriatric medicine and care for the elderly as also to include the subject in the curricula of medical schools in the Kingdom. The president of the organizing committee of the conference, Dr. Rana Al-Hamwi, said the conference came up with a number of recommendations, notably establishment of courses and workshops specialized in this field for doctors and medical students. Other recommendations included disseminating and consolidating awareness and skills of dealing with this age group, as well as the cooperation between various associations providing care for the elderly in the Kingdom. Al-Hamwi said, "The conference commended the plan of the Ministry of Health as regards the health care program for the elderly, which emphasizes on the provision of comprehensive services and integrated high-quality health care for this group through the health facilities provided by the Ministry of Health and other health sectors." She said that participants at the conference supported the health care program for the elderly, which seeks to detect and provide early treatment of common health problems in the elderly (physically, mentally, psychologically and socially) to reduce the progression of diseases, disability and deaths resulting from such health problems. The program also strives to improve the health of the elderly to support their productivity and improve their quality of life, as well as highlight the concept of primary health care support for the elderly. With the participation of more than 30 international and local speakers, the International Conference on Geriatric Medicine and Care of the Elderly discussed over the seven days several topics including home care for the elderly, the latest research on geriatric medicine, the rehabilitation of hospitals to match the requirements of the elderly, the science and exaggerations of the anti-aging agents, osteoporosis, the treatment of wounds in the elderly, types and treatments of dementia, and Alzheimer's, as well as the challenges of care for the elderly in the long term. Also discussed were topics of evaluation and treatment of pathological and psychological behaviors of some elderly, Parkinson's disease, sleep difficulties in the elderly, assistive movement devices, how to prevent falls which are common among the elderly, the national program to protect the elderly from falling, palliative treatment, diseases of the elderly in the Middle East and the world, and more importantly, the Saudi program for the care of the elderly and overall assessment of the elderly.