Porosh launches new service – Apatkal

Since inception one of the driving principle’s of Porosh has been relentless focus on customer needs. We sincerely believe Porosh owes its existence to its members and hence, duty-bound to address any explicit, or implicit need that may arise. But, we do not rest merely at that.

We receive requests for specific services which may not necessarily fit-in with the set of packages – four to be precise – on offer. In other words, such needs are unique and wide-ranging. Over a period of time we observed that the need for only ‘emergency hospitalization’ assistance comes right at the top. That is how Apatkal (emergency) came into being and it is distinct from Aastha, Sneho, Nischinta and Parisheba.

Under Apatkal, we not only arrange for ambulance and paperwork needed to be done at the time of admission but also complete insurance/ mediclaim related work alongside discharge procedures at the time of release.

It may be noted that a member has to bear expenses related to hiring of ambulance and follow-up visits.

Thus, Porosh now offers a wide-array of packages to fulfill as many varied needs of members as possible. It has been ensured that Apatkal package is economically priced so that money does not come in the way of life and death situations of senior citizens.

For details you may contact us at +91 9147096668 / +91 7439852047

Ageing and health: A World Health Organization (WHO) analysis

Key facts

• Between 2015 and 2050, the proportion of the world's population over 60 years will nearly double from 12% to 22%.

• By 2020, the number of people aged 60 years and older will outnumber children younger than 5 years.

• In 2050, 80% of older people will be living in low- and middle-income countries.

• The pace of population ageing is much faster than in the past.

• All countries face major challenges to ensure that their health and social systems are ready to make the most of this demographic shift.

Overview

People worldwide are living longer. Today most people can expect to live into their sixties and beyond. Every country in the world is experiencing growth in both the size and the proportion of older persons in the population.

By 2030, 1 in 6 people in the world will be aged 60 years or over. At this time the share of the population aged 60 years and over will increase from 1 billion in 2020 to 1.4 billion. By 2050, the world’s population of people aged 60 years and older will double (2.1 billion). The number of persons aged 80 years or older is expected to triple between 2020 and 2050 to reach 426 million.

While this shift in distribution of a country's population towards older ages – known as population ageing – started in high-income countries (for example in Japan 30% of the population is already over 60 years old), it is now low- and middle-income countries that are experiencing the greatest change. By 2050, two-thirds of the world’s population over 60 years will live in low- and middle-income countries.

Ageing explained

At the biological level, ageing results from the impact of the accumulation of a wide variety of molecular and cellular damage over time. This leads to a gradual decrease in physical and mental capacity, a growing risk of disease and ultimately death. These changes are neither linear nor consistent, and they are only loosely associated with a person’s age in years. The diversity seen in older age is not random. Beyond biological changes, ageing is often associated with other life transitions such as retirement, relocation to more appropriate housing and the death of friends and partners.

Common health conditions associated with ageing

Common conditions in older age include hearing loss, cataracts and refractive errors, back and neck pain and osteoarthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, depression and dementia. As people age, they are more likely to experience several conditions at the same time.

Older age is also characterized by the emergence of several complex health states commonly called geriatric syndromes. They are often the consequence of multiple underlying factors and include frailty, urinary incontinence, falls, delirium and pressure ulcers.

Factors influencing healthy ageing

A longer life brings with it opportunities, not only for older people and their families, but also for societies as a whole. Additional years provide the chance to pursue new activities such as further education, a new career or a long-neglected passion. Older people also contribute in many ways to their families and communities. Yet the extent of these opportunities and contributions depends heavily on one factor: health.

Evidence suggests that the proportion of life in good health has remained broadly constant, implying that the additional years are in poor health. If people can experience these extra years of life in good health and if they live in a supportive environment, their ability to do the things they value will be little different from that of a younger person. If these added years are dominated by declines in physical and mental capacity, the implications for older people and for society are more negative.

Although some of the variations in older people’s health are genetic, most is due to people’s physical and social environments – including their homes, neighborhoods, and communities, as well as their personal characteristics – such as their sex, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. The environments that people live in as children – or even as developing fetuses – combined with their personal characteristics, have long-term effects on how they age.

Physical and social environments can affect health directly or through barriers or incentives that affect opportunities, decisions and health behavior. Maintaining healthy behaviors throughout life, particularly eating a balanced diet, engaging in regular physical activity and refraining from tobacco use, all contribute to reducing the risk of non-communicable diseases, improving physical and mental capacity and delaying care dependency.

Supportive physical and social environments also enable people to do what is important to them, despite losses in capacity. The availability of safe and accessible public buildings and transport, and places that are easy to walk around, are examples of supportive environments. In developing a public-health response to ageing, it is important not just to consider individual and environmental approaches that ameliorate the losses associated with older age, but also those that may reinforce recovery, adaptation and psychosocial growth.

Challenges in responding to population ageing.

There is no typical older person. Some 80-year-olds have physical and mental capacities similar to many 30-year-olds. Other people experience significant declines in capacities at much younger ages. A comprehensive public health response must address this wide range of older people’s experiences and needs.

The diversity seen in older age is not random. A large part arises from people’s physical and social environments and the impact of these environments on their opportunities and health behavior. The relationship we have with our environments is skewed by personal characteristics such as the family we were born into, our sex and our ethnicity, leading to inequalities in health.

Older people are often assumed to be frail or dependent and a burden to society. Public health professionals, and society as a whole, need to address these and other ageist attitudes, which can lead to discrimination, affect the way policies are developed and the opportunities older people have to experience healthy aging.

Globalization, technological developments (e.g., in transport and communication),

urbanization, migration and changing gender norms are influencing the lives of older people in direct and indirect ways. A public health response must take stock of these current and projected trends and frame policies accordingly.

(Adapted from an article published on Oct 4, 2021 in https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ageing-and-Health#:~:text=Common%20conditions%20in%20older%20age,conditions%20at%20the%20same%20tim e.)

Porosh organizes get-together for its members

After a hiatus of more than two years Porosh brought it members together under the same roof, quite literally so, over a day of cha, adda and khaoa daoa. Although we have been eager to organize such a gathering since long yet the Covid induced restrictions & anxiety in the minds of the members prompted us to wait till an opportune moment arose. Thus, we had to wait till June 22 nd .

The members either came on their own, or vehicles were organized to bring them to a prominent South Kolkata club. After initial meeting and greeting of the

members over snacks & tea/ coffee, a quiz session was organized. It drew enthusiastic participation not only from the four teams but also members of

audience. The winners received gift hampers. Rest of the participants were pleasantly surprised to receive gifts as well. Before lunch two of the empaneled

doctors – Dr. Mitra and Dr. Chakraborty - shared their experience of being associated with Porosh and wished all the members pink of health.

Lunch was quite elaborate comprising veg and non-veg items. Icing on the top was paan which was relished by most. Infact it reminded a few of biye bari which they

seem to be missing since long. Most heartening was to observe animated discussions among the members over lunch and occasional cracking of jokes

followed by roll of laughter. The entire hall reverberated with energy and life.After all, this is what we were looking forward to.

Post lunch, some of the members volunteered to share their personal experiences in terms of care offered by Porosh. A few became emotional too. However, there

were others who either recited, or sang much to the appreciation from the rest.

Finally, curtains were rolled-down at 4 pm with expectation for yet another get-together over high-tea running high.