Wellness for QC senior citizens

Manila, Philippines -  A multi-sectoral partnership program for Quezon City’s senior citizens promises to keep elders healthy for the long term with its series of information campaigns on various illnesses and pneumonia immunization project, both supported by global healthcare leader MSD and other groups.

The Senior Citizen Wellness (SCW) program of the Senior Citizens Association of Barangay Pansol, Quezon City, and Santa Maria Dela Strada Multi-purpose Cooperative started with a Disease Awareness Day seminar on pneumonia, heart diseases, cholesterol, and osteoporosis, and ended with a pneumonia vaccination at the La Vista Village clubhouse.

Aside from MSD, Kaya Natin, a non-government organization that advocates good governance and ethical leadership, SINAG, the outreach arm of Santa Maria Dela Strada Multi-purpose Cooperative, and the La Vista Association are supporting the SCW.

A feature of the SCW program is the pneumonia vaccination, which allows a La Vista homeowner to sponsor the pneumonia vaccination of one senior citizen from Pansol, at a discounted rate, thus providing the much-needed immunity for more underprivileged senior citizens.

Kaya Natin project director Jess Lorenzo said the SCW and the various projects under it are important because they help alleviate the conditions of poor people.

“When we suffer from cancer, diabetes or hypertension, we may spend all our earnings and savings on medication and treatment. If, say, a diabetic fails to keep medicating, he/she may have to undergo dialysis, the cheapest of which is P2,500 per week. If you are just a construction worker, you may not be able to afford it. We know of many people who were forced to stop sending their kids to school to attend to their health,” Lorenzo said.

The coverage of the SCW will be expanded later to also benefit senior citizens from other Quezon City barangays. MSD, Kaya Natin, and SINAG will also be supporting other communities in providing wellness to more elders.

For more information, visit www.msd.com or www.msd.com.ph.