Disability among the elders, caring for elders, caring for aging, assistive devices for aging.

1. Advocacy on Disability among
Elderly – An Experiential
Narration
Ravi Samuel MA MPhil PGCARM (Lond)
Cognitive Psychotherapist
Secretary - Vision Age India

2. Our Experiences in Advocacy
• Informed Care Giving
• Communication Chart
• Health Care Utilisation
• Cognitive Disability

3. Informed Care Giving for dementia
• Education about the
illness
• Literature not being read
• Focus on cure than care
• Depicting in story form
• Pictures cuts across
literate barriers.
• Got world Recognition
• Spoken in three world
Congresses
• Reviewed in World Health

4. Around the year 2000 gradually the children started finding their
grandma’s teaching quite confusing! Earlier She used to make the
subjects interesting.

5. The family suspecting that the changes are not part of ageing takes her to
a doctor.

6. Oh she is playing with the food instead of eating it!

7. When they seek the help of the nurse she explains that due to the illness
she has lost the ability to eat, hence someone has to feed.

8. Usha’s son and husband take the responsibility of feeding.

9. Communication Chart
• Communication
tools
• Pictures
• Gentle reminder

10. Lung
Ulcer Joints
Hypertension
Heart
Disease
Urinary
Diabeties Cancer
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
Urban
Rural

11. Mean Visits to Private Doctor
• Dementia 2.00 SD 1.83
• Depression 1.40 SD 3.08
• Normal 0.44 SD 0.96
• Normal (OH) 1.32 SD 1.49
• Group I and III t value = 3.78 (0.05)

12. Risks of Negligence of Health
Hyper
tension
Diabetes Peripheral
Neuropathy
Failure of
Organs
Risk of
Vascular
Dementia
Heart
Disease
Reduced ability
to work
Increasing pain Reduced functioning
of other organs
Sudden
death
Dizziness / Falls Heart Attack
Risk of
Heart Problems
Premature
Death
Premature
Death

13. Changing Living Arrangements
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
1995 2005
Institution
Alone
Family

14. Elderly Living Alone

15. Health Services Awareness
• News Paper
• Magazines – Harmony
• Pamphlets
• Lectures
• Student programmes

17. Disability Prevalence %
Types
• Vision
• Speech
• Hearing
• Movement
• Mental 0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
60-69 70-79 80-89
Disability

18. Disability
• Physical
• Loco-motor
• Visual
• Hearing
• Cognitive
• Memory, orientation, new
learning, executive
functions
• Common and affects
independent living
• No recognition so far

19. Rally for Cognitive Disabilities
• Met the Governor
• Disability
commissioner
• Sent request to All in
the ministry
• Response?

20. Experiential Lessons
• Big Budget is required
• Good Materials
• Networking with various
organisations
• College / volunteers
• Media is very supportive
Government
• Contacts
• Procedures
• Time Frame

21. Conclusion
• Advocacy at National and International
Level
• IFA to member organisations
• Research and Service collaboration.

22. Thank you Ladies and Gentlemen