Health Policy in Bangladesh by Shraboni Roy

Health policy

1. Health Policy Shraboni Roy Teaching Assistant Department of Graduate Nursing, BSMMU

2. Definition of Terms Elderly has been defined as a state of person’s chronological age of 65 years old or older (Geriatrics and Gerontology International). Aging is defined as a progressive physiological changes in an organism that leads to senescence or a decline of biological functions (World Health Organization, 2023). Geriatrics is the branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis , management and prevention of medical problems associated with senility and senescence.

3. Epidemiology The world is rapidly growing older. There are 703 million people aged 65 or older in 2019 and projected to reach 1.5 billion by 2050 world wide. The number of elderly people is increasing rapidly in Bangladesh, where around 13 million people are aged over 60, which is equal to almost 8% of the country's total population (Bangladesh Statistics Bureau, 2022; Barikdar et al., 2016) . It is estimated that one in every ten citizens will be 60 years or older by 2025 and this figure is projected to double by 2050 in Bangladesh.

4. Health Policy Health policy is defined as the decisions, plans and actions that are undertaken to achieve specific healthcare goals within a society (World Health Organization). Healthy People 2030 focuses on keeping people safe and healthy through laws and policies at the local, state, territorial, and federal level. Health and aging policies aim to improve the whole well-being of older adults.

5. 7 Physical Needs of Elderly Nutritional Needs Medication Management Regular Exercise Sleep and Rest Pain Management Personal Hygiene Regular Health Check-ups

6. Common issues faced by Elderly Physical vulnerability Lack of social dignity Economic vulnerability Accommodation vulnerability Illness problem Physical assault Mobility problem Emotional vulnerability Recreation problem Family burden Far from relatives Food crisis

7. Policies for Elderly People Pension Old Age Allowance Program Social Safety Net Program Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF), Gratuitous Relief Fund, Emergency Fund for Risk Mitigation during Natural Disaster, Vulnerable Group Development (VGD), Fund for Housing of Disaster and Widow and Distressed Women Allowance.

8. Objectives of Health Policies for Elderly The ‘National Policy on Older Persons’ has set five broad objectives for the elderly: 1. Dignity 2. Participation 3. Self-dependence 4. Self-attainment 5. Services

9. Thanks….

10. ASSIGNMENT Discuss the health policies for elderly in Bangladesh.