The elderly find happy senior moments at MakatiMed

So, who’s afraid of aging? Apparently, not the elderly who have found a haven at the Optimal Aging Center of Makati Medical Center where age is just a number. Yes, the Optimal Aging Center helps patients age gracefully — and successfully — by focusing on the needs of seniors 60 years old and up. On top of the list are health promotion and education, awareness, prevention, and treatment of disease and disability, as well as enhancement and maintenance of their level of independence and functioning. You’d be surprised to know that some of these seniors actually have twice the energy and enthusiasm of youngsters. After all, renowned American folk artist Anna Mary Robertson Moses, a.k.a. Grandma Moses, started painting — mind you, not panting — at the ripe old age of 78!

Dream team for a young center

For this quite young, seven-year-old center that opened in June, 2008, MakatiMed has gathered an awesome team of doctors, nurses, nutritionists, physical therapists, and occupational therapists.

Of course, the doctors are specialists in geriatrics, cardiology, geriatric psychiatry, ophthalmology, and physical medicine and rehabilitation.

Seniors who come into the center are given a comprehensive geriatric assessment that consists of comprehensive history taking and physical examination, and review of medications (with a long list of meds they’re taking, some seniors can be walking medicine cabinets).

The cases that come in are varied. “As one ages, multiple degenerative diseases associated with aging set in,” explains Dr. Ma. Ramona Ozaeta, cardiologist, a UST Med School graduate. “These are what we call geriatric syndromes.”

There are outpatient consultations that address different geriatric syndromes, among which are: difficulty in swallowing, dizziness and fainting, dementia (memory and intellectual impairment), sleep problems, bowel and urinary incontinence, visual/hearing impairment, difficulty in walking, falls, osteoporosis, pressure ulcers.

Majority of the cases the center has addressed include hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, impaired vision due to cataract, hearing impairment, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, poor balance and gait due to stroke and deconditioning, impaired nutrition, frailty, and dementia, most commonly due to Alzheimer’s disease.

Don’t forget Alzheimer’s

“Yes, Alzheimer’s disease is becoming more a common problem brought to us, compared to earlier years,” Dr. Ozaeta reveals. “I think this is due to people’s better awareness of the disease as facilitated by educational and medical lay fora by different hospitals and organizations, and, of course, the help of educational TV and radio shows can’t be understated. However, even if we are seeing more people with Alzheimer’s being brought to us for consult, it is still a disease that’s very much under-recognized. And even if it is recognized, it is undertreated as majority of the Alzheimer’s patients are brought to us in their moderate stage, when psychological and behavioral changes become problematic.”

Definitely, says Dr. Ozaeta, it would be ideal to see these patients and treat them in the early or very early stage of the disease.

From observation, there are more women coming to the center for checkup.

But it’s not all sitting and consulting that the elderly do here. They also have an Adult Activity Center, which opened in Feb. 2010. Here, they can forget about their aches and pains and ailments, and simply enjoy activities geared towards fostering socialization, providing mental and social stimulation, and enhancing physical strength and stamina.

 “We do arts & craft, simple meal preparation, physical exercise, ballroom dancing, painting, cognitively stimulting activities to exercise the brain,” Dr. Ozaeta describes a busy day at the center. “We also have social and communication activities to improve the general well-being of the elderly.”

Support and health classes are also given to their families and caregivers.

Happy senior moments

The center has taken on many a dramatic case  and improved the lives of many senior patients. Here are some happy testimonials from patients and relatives of patients who have attended different activities at the center:

• “It is a place to entertain elderly people like me and keep me busy.”

• “She used to stare blankly, but now, she is the one asking what we are going to do today. It is like she is looking for something to do.”

• “My mom has a new set of barkada (friends) now. At least they are of the same age and they have similar interests.”

• “Before, she could not complete a whole piano piece, but now, she can almost play the whole piece and she is more motivated to practice.”

• “Before, she seemed to lack the energy to go out and would rather stay home. But now, we can get her to join our regular family outings ... being a large family, we hold reunions very often.”

Mealtime is bonding time

Dr. Ozaeta discloses, “The shared mealtimes help in their socialization and their food intake. The group activities help foster new friendships. Socialization helps them stay connected with another person, which is often neglected when left at home.”

But of course, patients’ nutritional needs are taken care of. “Their eating habits are assessed during the history taking with the patient and accompanying person (a caregiver or family member), and also analyzed in the review of system and nutritional assessment,” Dr. Ozaeta informs us. “For a patient who is not eating anymore due to neurologic cognitive problem, referral to a GI specialist is suggested for possible PEG feeding and the patient’s condition usually improves after.”

As for the indigent elderly, the center’s staff participates in medical missions once or twice a year. The center organizes a lay forum once a year to educate elderly citizens to help take care of themselves and for family members to make them aware of the conditions affecting aging.

Of course, seniors get a senior discount and special medical assistance from the center’s nursing staff.

As of now, there are no plans yet for MakatiMed to put up satellite Optimal Aging Centers in other parts of the metro.

Here, every day is a brand-new day for even those in the twilight of their years.

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The Optimal Aging Center of MakatiMed is located at the 2nd floor, Tower 2. It is open Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with telephone numbers 888-8999.