Geriatric Society on mission to transform elderly care

BAVINA SOOKDEO

IT is said that growing old gracefully is a thing of beauty when you have caregivers who love and support you and Dr Lavanyakumari Thondavada is someone who truly understands this.

In October 2023, she founded the Geriatric Society of Trinidad and Tobago (GSTT) with a mission to provide high-quality healthcare for the elderly and promote forward-thinking initiatives to enhance their health, activity, and overall quality of life.

For Thondavada, the cause is personal. She told Newsday, “My father, who was a medical doctor, suddenly became ill and passed away in a short period of time. Despite already working in the gerontology field, this made me realise the need for geriatric care in our country.”

Inspired by the American Geriatric Society, she envisioned a local organisation dedicated to ensuring that elderly individuals in Trinidad and Tobago receive the care, respect, and support they deserve.

Thondavada said the society’s goal is to provide individuals with high-quality care whenever they need it and encourage the community to become aware of the geriatric healthcare services available to them.

The society takes a holistic approach, addressing not just physical health but also the psychological and social well-being of older adults.

“We provide healthcare services and camps with a comprehensive geriatric assessment and community events. We ensure that we involve both healthcare professionals, and caregivers in our services to provide both physical and psychological healthcare,” Thondavada explained. “To eliminate discrimination that affects the health and lifestyle of older adults, we encourage everyone in the community to participate.”

The society owes its progress to a dedicated team and valuable collaborations. Claire Gittens, a medical social worker and the society’s public relations officer, has played a pivotal role in community engagement. Additionally, Father Martin Sirju, the executive director, brings a holistic perspective to the society’s events and programmes.

Partnerships with organisations like South Dakota University, Flying Fish Swim Club, and the Home Care and Residential Living Association of TT have significantly advanced the Geriatric Society’s mission.

“South Dakota University has been providing interdisciplinary training for healthcare professionals in geriatric medicine,” Thondavada noted. These collaborations have facilitated physical activity programmes, interdisciplinary training, and engaging community events.

With the main concerns of the elderly population being healthcare, abuse, financial insecurity, safety and family matters, since its inception, the society has undertaken numerous activities to support elderly people. These include, physical health programmes –water aerobics sessions; social engagement events such as sip and paint with live entertainment and and Christmas lunches; awareness campaigns – health camps, educational seminars, and observances of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day and International Older Persons Day.

The society is also actively involved in community outreach and visiting senior citizens homes and recognising outstanding older adults. Last year, it recognised retired Brigadier Carl Alfonso and Winston Dookeran.

Some sponsors have also contributed to making some of its events successful, among them are Sundeck Suites and Berment Caterers. The society is hoping more sponsors will come on board to support the events. Some local artistes such as former National Action Women's Committee' (NWAC) calypso queen Amrika Mutroo and Noelle Archer have also entertained the elderly at the events.

Thondavada proudly shared a transformative success story: “We had an elderly individual who is a survivor of cancer and had no hope on his life. After coming to the society's community events, he figured out his way of life. Now, he is enjoying his life, being active, doing what he loves, and spending time with family and friends. Also, his family is so happy now. This change in an older person’s attitude towards their age is what the society is looking for."

Questioned on policy gaps or systemic issues in healthcare and social care for the elderly that need urgent attention, Thondavada said, “I strongly believe that we need more geriatric medicine departments in all regional health authorities across the country, and we need healthcare professionals with adequate training.”

Thondavada insisted that there is also a need for geriatric clinics at both the primary and tertiary care levels.

“The clinics need to ensure that appointments are no longer than three months. Family members and caregivers should be aware of our existing policies so that they can provide the right social care.”

To address social isolation and mental health, the society organises events with educational components, empowering older adults and their support groups.

The society also engages younger generations through volunteer programmes. Last year, it also honoured its student volunteers, who are enrolled in secondary schools and also at the UWI, for their involvement in supporting its many outreach projects.

“Most of our volunteers at our events are younger people who regularly engage with the elderly population. We encourage them to join by having programmes and allowing them to have the opportunity to become part of our team.”

Asked what strategies have been most effective in fostering intergenerational collaboration, Thondavada shared that using social media for publicity has been effective as the younger generations can be more involved with the society.

“We also offer a voluntary service programme that provides education and training for those who want to learn how to serve older adults.”

In alignment with the United Nations Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021–2030), the society continues to advocate for ageism elimination (negative perception of the elderly) and holistic empowerment of older adults. Its future goals include establishing geriatric clinics and expanding community involvement.

“Short term, we want to do our best to spread the word and involve more people in our society. Long term, we are looking to open Geriatric clinics to improve quality of life of our older adults,” Thondavada explained.

Asked what message she would like to share with the public about the importance of supporting the elderly population, she said,

“The elderly adult population play an important role in our society as they share important skills and knowledge for younger generations by their experiences. They also are the roots of our culture and help maintain that in our country.”

She reiterated that we all have to eliminate the stigma of ageism and encourage people and professionals to be involved in taking care of our future life in order to be happy.

“To accomplish this, the public, business people, NGOs and political peoples have to be involved,” she stated.