Dr. Muhammad Mahtab Hossain Mazed

Today Tuesday (October 1) is the 34th International Day of Older Persons 2024. The theme of this year's day is 'Ageing with Dignity: Globally. "Strengthening Elderly Care and Support System" in Bangladesh like other countries of the world, this day will be celebrated through various programs. In 1990, the United Nations decided to celebrate the day internationally on October 1 every yearThis day was started in 1991 with the aim of ensuring the protection and rights of the elderly as well as creating global public awareness about ageingThe United Nations defines elderly as 60 years and above for citizens of the Asia-Pacific region and 65 years and above for citizens of developed countriesAnd in the 20th century, massive advances in medicine, awareness, nutrition and health care have reduced mortality rates; Also, the average life expectancy of people has increased. As a result, the number of elderly in the world society is increasingThe preliminary report of Census and Household Census 2022 says that the number of people above 60 years of age in the country is 1 crore 53 lakh 26 thousand 719. They are 9.28 percent of the total population. In the 2011 census, this rate was 7.47 percent. As the average life expectancy of people in the country is increasing, the number of elderly people is increasing.

According to the census, the population growth rate in the country is low. On the other hand, the growth rate of the elderly population is high. The United Nations Population Fund estimates that by 2025-26, the number of elderly people will reach 20 million. In 2050, that number will be 4.5 crore, which will be 21 percent of the then population. And in 2061 there will be about five and a half million elderly population. The latest census and household census says that the size of the family or family is getting smaller in the country.

As families get smaller, older members are at risk of becoming isolated. As incomes decline due to old age, most become penniless. Being economically dependent on others. Specialized treatment for them has not yet started in the country. They do not get timely treatment. The number of such people is increasing in the country..When the golden morning of man's childhood ends, the sunny afternoon of youth and youth passes, and the busy afternoon of middle age also passes, then old age comes as the twilight of life's evening.

This period is actually the last chapter of human life. In our society we don't really think much about the health or other issues of the elderly. The elderly are the beauty of our family. We should focus on them. Because they are respected by the family. If they are sick, the whole family is in turmoil. For this, they have to be aware of their health from the beginning. Apart from that, people get lonely as they age. It is painful for the elderly. Therefore, they should be accompanied as much as possible. And with increasing age, the performance of various organs of the body decreases day by day, as a result of which several diseases appear in almost everyone in the elderly. And not only physical diseases, the problem of the elderly is actually multidimensional.

They are plagued with mental, family, social and even state problems. In fact, when a person reaches old age, certain things develop within him, such as physical incapacity, helplessness, codependency, surrender to the blind and oversensitivity. These can range from emotional pain to feeling unwanted, a burden on the family or society. Many seniors suffer from depression. Sometimes such irrational and childish behavior is manifested in them, which many consider as second childhood. No one comes forward to protect the honor and dignity of elders, which is very sad.

Elders play an important role in the formation of family, society and state in youth. Worked towards the happiness and sorrow, joy and pain, comfort and wealth of the family members. At this stage of life, they will be neglected, it cannot be accepted. The British government introduced the pension of government employees in this subcontinent in 1925. After almost 72 years in 1997, the government introduced old-age allowance for the elderly population. 50 crores in the first phase, 1306 crores in 2014, 1440 crores in the next year, 20640 crores in the budget of 2019-20. Last year (2021-22) 32 thousand 731 crores were allocated for the health sector. This time, 36 thousand 863 crores have been allocated in the proposed budget for the financial year 2022-23. Accordingly, the allocation for the Ministry of Health has increased by 4 thousand 132 crores. Under the social welfare ministry of the government, 84 lakh senior citizens are being given this allowance at the rate of 500 taka. But allowance is being given only to 84 lakh senior citizens. More than 66 lakh seniors are not covered by this old age allowance.

According to the latest census data, there are more than 9.727 thousand people above 65 years of age in the country. They are 5.89 percent of the total population. Not only that, what can be found in this market for only 500 rupees? Old age requires medicine and treatment for various diseases including high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease. And elderly people are respected. They are the second child. We should remember - those who are elderly today have done a lot for the welfare of their family, society, country and nation in the past.

Care should be taken not to neglect them. We who are young should not forget that we too have to reach this state one day. If we neglect them today, we will suffer the same neglect. In many countries of the world, the elderly are neglected, neglected, a burden to many in the society and family. It is the duty of all of us to take necessary steps to get rid of this condition. And young people can tolerate cold or heat much more than the elderly. Healthy adults sweat and dilate their blood vessels to protect themselves from overheating during summer. In winter, the blood vessels are narrowed, so it is less likely. Anomalous conditions arise in the elderly as the body's normal heat conservation mechanisms, such as blood pressure, become ineffective. Many OTC and prescription drugs can cause abnormal temperatures in older people, which can be dangerous. Many older people suffer from one or more complex and fatal diseases for a long time.

Heart disease, stroke, diabetes, kidney problems, depression, depression, dementia are among these complex diseases. In the treatment of these diseases, the patient has to take numerous medicines. If the liver, kidneys, or heart are not working properly, the drug cannot be eliminated from the body quickly. If the heart does not pump the normal amount of blood, the kidneys do not get enough blood, so the excretion of drugs is reduced. It increases the side effects of drugs. If you have liver problems, the metabolism (chemical conversion) of the drug will decrease or stop. That drug will stay in the body for an undesired time and cause adverse reactions. A serious limitation is responsible for these problems. We conduct clinical trials of drugs on adults for only three months. But we give these medicines to elderly people for 15 to 20 years or more.

It is neither rational nor scientific to prescribe a drug to people in their sixties based on the results of a three-month clinical trial in young adults and to continue it for decades. Many humanitarian disasters have occurred in the past due to the use of harmful drugs without adequate clinical trials in children and women. Thalidomide is one of the tragedies.

The Food and Drug Administration now mandates that clinical trials be conducted on people of the age group to take the drug. There is great variation in drug side effects between young and old people, which is often not understood by patients or doctors. For this reason, caution should be exercised in administering prescription drugs to elderly patients. It is advisable to give them fewer drugs in lower doses. While giving medicine to elderly people, it is necessary to check the functioning of different vital organs and different systems of their body. Or the patient will suffer unnecessarily, or die, because of the drug's unwanted side effects, toxicity, or interaction.

* First of all, we must remember that the elderly are part of our family. He should be treated like any other member of the family. It should be our moral responsibility to always cherish the elders and nurture them like children. Showing affection, love and respect to them. Never let them feel that they are an extra burden on us.
* In many countries of the world there are old homes or old homes for the elderly. If necessary, we have to make such arrangements in our country. Therefore care should be taken to ensure that they are not pushed into these nursing homes due to careless negligence to avoid liability.
* In our country only government employees get a small amount of pension after retirement from service. Will the elderly be the only ones? Those who are in other professions outside the government service or work in the fields, will they not be old? It is important to have facilities for them too. The government must consider it.
* The amount given as pension or old age allowance should also be respectable so that they can eat and not be dependent.
* Adequate hospitals should be provided so that seniors can get better treatment at low cost. There should be separate beds allocated for them in government hospitals. Various tests and medicines should be given to them free or at low cost. Besides, specialized departments should be opened in big hospitals to treat the elderly.
* Family members should remind their children to get regular health checkups.

Finally, I would like to say that the talent and experience of the healthy elderly can be used for various development and service purposes of the state and society. If the talent-thinking-experience of the elders can be connected with the enthusiasm and performance of the youth, the speed of development of the country will increaseAnd in various social, family, religious and even state functions, the elderly should be invited as much as possible, so that they do not feel unnecessary, neglected or neglected in any way. In keeping with the changing world, our social system is also changing rapidly. Single families, population growth, poverty growth, rapid industrialization and urbanization all strike at the core of our ideals and values, weakening or worsening the situation of the elderly. As a result, the elderly are becoming careless, neglected, lonely, a burden to society and even families. It should be remembered that they expect the same from us as they have nurtured us with love and even their all. My small advice is, make sure to use the medicine rationally and live a side effect free life. Take a vow of lifelong health before you get sickAnd remember, our relationship with today's seniors is an investment in the future. Our children, future generations, learn many things by imitating us. We want the successful implementation of the social security for the elderly which has been included in the constitution. A strong role has to be played in meeting the expectations of the country's senior citizens – those who today are serving at various levels of the state machinery. They should always consider the advantages and disadvantages of the elderly in formulating the policies followed by the government in terms of moral and realityAll the elders of the world stay well and hope that this year's World Elders Day is a success!

Author, columnist and researcher Founder Chairman,Jatiya Rogi Kallyan Society