STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Holding the message enshrined in the maxim ‘To care for those who once cared for us as one of the highest service’ true Dr. Sushil Sharma on Sunday reached out to the inmates of Old Age Home Amphalla on the occasion of New Year Day in order to examine them for the possibility of any Cardiovascular Diseases and other health ailments and to wish them a happy and prosperous new year.
He stated that the older persons are not a homogenous group, and the challenges they face in the protection or enjoyment of their human rights vary greatly. While some continue to lead active lives as part of their community, many others face homelessness, lack of adequate care or isolation.
Dr. Sushil, while interacting with the inmates, referred to high blood pressure being more common with advancing age, and so are its associated complications, of stroke, kidney disease, heart attack and heart failure. He said that elderly people should have blood pressure measured periodically, and high levels (generally defined as 150/90 mm Hg and above) should be treated.
He added that more recently, convincing evidence has been gathered that hypertension in the elderly is not benign.
Even in old age, lowering elevated blood pressure can save lives. Control of hypertension may not be achieved as readily as in younger patients, but even so, partial treatment can lower the rate of potentially serious complications, said Dr. Sushil.
He maintained that natural physiologic changes in old age will somewhat lessen efficiency of the heart.He appealed to the State authorities to give priority to the inmates of the old age home by providing them financial assistance and provision for exclusive medical care and adequate staff. Moreover, the general public especially the younger generation should be sensitised regarding the issues of inmates living in Old Age Home and must inculcate the habit of making regular visits to these places to help them out from their daily problems, he added.
Managing committee of the Home lauded the efforts of Dr. Sushil Sharma and his team for choosing Old Age Home on New Year day to revitalise his mission to reduce the burden of CVD in the society. Others who were part of this humane effort included Dr. Arvind Kohli (Vascular Surgeon) and Dr Chakshu Mahajan. Parame-dics and volunteers who were part of the team included Kashmiri Lal, Kamal Kishore, Harvinder Singh, Rajkumar, Lokesh Manni, Ashish Soni, Gourav Sharma, Vikas Sabharwal, Ankush Kohli, Nitan Sharma, Rohit Khajuria and Vikas Kumar.
