The United Nations has marked 1 October as the International Day of Older Persons since 1991, and this year's theme in Bangladesh is 'New thinking for a long life'. Writing in Prothom Alo for the day, Dr Shamima Sharmin, associate professor of medicine, says caring for an older relative does not end with buying their medicines.
Figures cited in the article show average life expectancy in Bangladesh at 72.4 years in the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics report of 2023. People over 60 make up 9.5 per cent of the population, more than 16.6 million people. Most live in rural areas, where health services and work are scarcer, and the article cites research finding that most older people in Bangladesh live with several health conditions at once.
The doctor advises a regular daily routine: balanced, easily digested food, moderate exercise, seven to eight hours of sleep, regular health check-ups and physiotherapy where needed. Sleeping pills should be avoided as far as possible, she writes, because they can add complications.
Enough protein is needed to slow muscle loss, so fish, eggs, vegetables, fruit, fibre and nuts belong in the diet, with less excess carbohydrate and fat. Calcium and vitamin D help prevent bone loss; she suggests sunlight between 11am and 2pm and milk or yoghurt.
The mind needs care as much as the body. Busy families who rarely sit and talk with ageing parents leave them lonely. Spending some time each day in conversation, encouraging grandchildren to spend time with them, and taking them to a rooftop garden or a park lift their spirits.
The home must be safe against falls: good light and air, dry, non-slip floors, rails in the toilet and anti-slip mats. In the doctor's view, comprehensive geriatric care through care homes and hospice centres is now a need the country has to meet.
Photo: Adam Jones / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Source: Prothom Alo
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