CALAMBA CITY, Laguna – As an opening salvo to the country’s observance of “National Filipino Elderly Week” from Oct. 1 to 7, the Department of Health (DOH) in Calabarzon staged its first “Senior Citizen’s Health Summit,” which drew some 150 elderlies from the Calabarzon provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon.
Dr. Eduardo C. Janairo, DOH Calabarzon Regional Director, spearheaded the first ever gathering held in a Pasay City hotel function hall from Sept. 27 to 28, in partnership with the Association of Health-Oriented Neighbors (AHON) which provided various free medical and health services to senior citizens.
“Growing old is never a hindrance to leading productive lives and making a difference in society. Our senior citizens still have much to contribute to help the current generation of Filipinos in their efforts to build a better country,” Janairo said.
He also gave prescriptive advice to seniors citizens to stay fit and eat healthy diet like high fiber-fruits, vegetables and plenty of water to stay energized and active.
“Focus on disease prevention by avoiding smoking and alcohol. Stay happy, healthy, keep doing activities you enjoy, add regular exercise to your routine because it can help reduce the risk of developing disabilities and diseases,” he added.
Janairo, along with participating doctors and health services professionals, conducted the various medical, dental, vision checkups and latest diagnostic technologies for the elders.
The senior citizen participants were introduced to various traditional complementary and alternative modalities to monitor and assess their over-all health, such as the Live Blood Analysis (LBA) test, Disease Prevention Analyzer (DPA), Hypotential Therapy and Electric Acupuncture machines operated by the AHON staff.
Seniors were also awed at the latest technology which uses the Quantum Magnetic Resonance Analyzer with a metallic rod that determines the current state of health of the various organs of the body.
Janairo also led the distribution of assistive devices such as walkers, canes and health kits for selected seniors-Persons with Disability (PWDs) while participants received their health kits.
“Let us not forget the sacrifices and the vital contributions of our elderly citizens to the development and progress of our society. Being also a member of this privileged group, I encouraged everyone to continue imparting knowledge and molding future generations with the wisdom that we have acquired through the years,” Janairo said.
Glen S. Ramos, DOH Calabarzon media relations and communications unit chief, said based on the Commission on Population (POPCOM) current projection, there are some 8,013,059 Filipinos over 60 years of age , representing about 8.2 percent of the projected population of 107 million this year.
He said that from this group, 5,082,049 will be 65 and older.
POPCOM estimated 4,965 Filipinos are born every day, which translates to around 206 births per hour. Given this trend, the commission estimates the population to hit some 142 million-mark by 2045. (By Saul Pa-a/PNA)
