BHUBANESWAR: Ajari Bhatta of Nirakarpur in Puri district, who suffered from Parkinson’s disease for nearly a decade, had never hoped to get his eyesight back. But after a surgery at the LV Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI), Bhubaneswar, he is now able to see the world like before. Eyesight in both his eyes have been restored, thanks to a unique elderly care initiative of LVPEI.
The initiative - launched in June last year - has been able to provide service to more than 7,000 persons older than 70 years, so far. They constitute 10 pc of the total number of patients served during the period.
As part of the initiative, one in four of the older adults were treated at no cost and personalised care was offered to all. Under the initiative, the institute has been screening critical old-age vulnerabilities like frailty, hearing impairment, falls, depression and dementia besides, providing cutting-edge vision care.
“Apart from the rehabilitative services, all the elderly visiting our hospital are educated on the preventive measures to prevent fall. An in-house physiotherapist assesses their strength and suggests appropriate measures to improve balance. Our in-house internist ensures the overall well-being of all patients,” said Chief of elderly care initiative Dr Umesh Chandra Behera.
A separate cell has been created on the hospital campus for the purpose and a team of dedicated caregivers appointed to take care of the elderly persons.
The waiting louge and utility areas have been made elderly friendly to improve their visit experience. Caregivers use the waiting period to educate them on various morbidity prevention options available to make ageing safer and healthier.
The initiative has been introduced keeping in mind the growing elderly population and the increasing risk to the age-old people.
Dr Behera said since visual impairment and blinding disorders occur with increasing frequency once people become older, the vision limiting ocular diseases adversely impact health-related quality of life and ability to live independently besides increasing mortality risk and falls.
“Eye care organisations play a pivotal role in the early screening of old age morbidity as vision loss generally precedes the other old age vulnerabilities. Realising this need, LVPEI, for the first time in the world, came up with elderly eye care at Visakhapatnam campus. The initiative was replicated at Hyderabad and Bhubaneswar centers,” he said.
The Bhubaneswar centre has been successful in achieving a total reversal like restoration of vision with cataract surgery and correction of refractive errors of old age.
The older adults, who could not make it to the hospital, are being provided service through tele-consultation and the institute is taking eye care home for those who are home-bound due to physical morbidity.