Legislation and wellness initiatives for seniors

Abig stride that would benefit senior citizens is the bill that Albay Rep. Salceda and the House Joint committee on senior citizens and ways had approved recently – expanding senior and PWD discounts by 20 percent on promotional items and services. They will also enjoy a 15 percent discount for water and electricity provided that their monthly consumption does not exceed 100 kilowatt-hours or 30 cubic meters.

Too, the committee was able to get the Departments of Trade and Industry, Agriculture and Energy to expand discounts on basic goods from ₱260 to ₱500 a month. These would result in as much as ₱112.6 billion in more benefits for senior and PWDS this year.

Another concept which lawmakers may consider is that of availing seniors a comprehensive wellness plan that would enable them to have annual health evaluation.

I thought of this the other day while undergoing a two-day wellness check-up at a local hospital. The package consisted of echo with doppler, bone mineral densitometry, chest X-ray, ECG, audiometry, visual acuity, urinalysis and blood test, abdomen ultrasound, mammography and breast ultrasound, and lifestyle intervention (nutrition). They were done efficiently by the hospital team of technologists. No complaints as we received preferential treatment except in one case where we had to wait for over 45 minutes before the procedure can be done. But we thought that in most establishments, seniors are placed at the beginning of the line.

Now why was this necessary considering that I am already 92 and nearing the end of the line.

My decision to go through this evaluation wasn’t’ easy for one like me who find some of the tests physically exhausting. But after considerable reflection, I decided to take it for two reasons.

One was to bond with my younger sister who underwent the same process, and the other, to discover reasons for the aches and pains in my legs and shoulders and often feeling indisposed.

Several times over the past year, I had felt that the end was near. Which prompted a friend to remind me that every day, I must continue to affirm that I am going to get better.

Anyway, after reviewing the initial findings, my primary doctor assured me that while there were some issues I should focus on, there is nothing serious that I should worry about.

My 90-year-old sister was likewise informed that her tests did not show serious findings. In short, we were advised to follow a health regimen – a diet and exercise that would address some of our current issues. Knowing that we can continue with the usual routine, is perhaps the main justification for seniors in our age group to undergo a comprehensive health check- up.

But many among our women seniors in the rural communities are still unable to access these services because of prohibitive costs.

Some of these tests are already available for free to our indigent citizens but a few others require expensive equipment and health specialists which many of our government hospitals in the provinces are still unable to provide.

The theme of International Women’s Day is “Inspire inclusion.” Let’s ponder on how we can make this realizable to millions of women everywhere who still live on the fringes of society and are unable to benefit from the opportunities of new health technologies. And to make them aware that they can still be productive citizens who can contribute to the betterment of society.