BENGALURU: St Johns Hospital, Bengaluru, has bagged the Vayoshtreshta Samman by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment after it was adjudged as the Best Institute for Research in the field of ageing.
The hospital has been applauded by the ministry for its outstanding services to senior citizens.
The institute’s Senior Citizen Health Service (SCHS) started as a unit in 2005 under St Johns Medical College. And has been working on the objectives of improving the health status of rural and urban elderly through a service, training and research model.
The SCHS, which specialises in primary geriatric care research in geriatrics, training of geriatric nursing aides and community health workers, also trains caregivers and family members of senior citizens among its other social interventions pertaining to geriatrics.
In its rural and urban outreach programme, St Johns’ has sent out a team of doctors to visit rural places around Bengaluru and provide medical services to the needy. The team reached nearly 600 senior citizens every month in nine villages, 500 persons in urban areas and 250 old-age home residents.
The SCHS has 43 publications in the form of theses, research papers, journal papers among others.