Geriatric care unit at RGICD

BANGALORE: In order to improve the quality of life of older adults, the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases (RGICD) is soon to set up a specialised geriatric care unit at its premises. The unit will not only specialise in health care services of senior citizens, but also aims to take up research activities.The geriatric care unit will be set up at the sprawling 2000 square metre space with nearly 30 beds strength. The unit will cost `5 crore to the state government which has already been sanctioned in the last year budget. The unit will be equipped with out patients department, laboratory facility, physiotherapy and counselling services to the patients. Speaking to Express, Dr Shashidhar Buggi, director of Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases said that the whole idea behind setting up this unit is to promote the concept of ‘ageing gracefully’.Dr Buggi who recently attended the conference on Geriatric care held at All India India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi said that research papers were presented during the conference. “According to the studies conducted at the tertiary care chest disease institute, we have found out that nearly 27 per cent of the cases are geriatric and are in need of dire geriatric care. With medical advancement, the survival rate is better and the life expectancy among women are better than the men,” he said.The state government has already sanctioned `5 crore for setting up the unit. The civil work of the unit is in full swing and a geriatrician has been appointed for the unit. “We have sent the proposal for staff recruitment to the government for clearance,” added Dr Buggi. The unit is likely to be functional by March.