ABSTRACT
Background: The National Program for the HealthCare of the Elderly (NPHCE) was adopted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in 2010 to provide promotional, preventive, curative, and rehabilitative health-care services for the fast-growing older population in India. As literature about the assessment of NPHCE is lacking, the present study was conducted to perform a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis of the program. Methods: The SWOT of the NPHCE program is analyzed using available literature and relevant documents. Results: Although this program embraces strategies to provide specialized training and services at primary health center, community health center, and district levels, including dedicated bedded wards, equipment, consumables, and pharmaceuticals but home-based care for the elderly, and the role of caregivers is overlooked in this program. NPHCE program can utilize the framework and take support of various ongoing healthy aging initiatives of international agencies to augment the health-care strategies for the elderly in India. Integrating schemes developed by the government for the upliftment of the elderly and the inclusion of traditional medicine systems in the program can serve as an opportunity for meeting unmet needs and improving the quality of life and well-being of the elderly. However, the growing elderly population, rise in nuclear families, and dual disease burden are significant threats to the program’s implementation. Conclusion: This program can be more effective in providing comprehensive health care to the elderly if more emphasis is given to community participation, home‑based care, and integrating digital health technologies and other existing welfare schemes.
ABSTRACT
Integrated Care for Older Persons (ICOPE) screening tool helps to address declines in physical and mental capacities in older people. In India, majority of the older population resides in rural areas and there is a paucity of studies that demonstrates the utility of the ICOPE screening tool in India. Thus, a cross-sectional study was conducted to demonstrate the feasibility of using the World Health Organization ICOPE screening tool in a rural population. Comprehensive geriatric assessment of intrinsic capacity revealed cognitive decline in 31.5% (n = 142) participants, diminished mobility 52.1% (n = 235) participants, eye problems in 49.4% (n = 223) participants, and hearing loss in 68.3% (n = 308) participants. Gender difference was statistically significant with mobility limitation (P = 0.005; ?2 = 7.95) and feeling of pain (P = 0.001; ?2 = 15.64), being more in females than males. This tool seems suitable in identifying the intrinsic capacity of the rural elderly.