LUMBAN, Laguna – An official of the Department of Health (DOH) called on senior citizens of this town to make the most of the extended lives afforded by modern medicine, to pursue their interests as they remain viable and productive members of society.
DOH Calabarzon Regional Director, Dr. Eduardo C. Janairo, issued this challenge Saturday during the day-long medical and dental mission spearheaded by his office.
“Through this activity, we want to express gratitude to our seniors for your lifelong dedication and commitment in serving the society. The fact that you now live longer today than ever is already considered a big success because this means you are in good health and can still serve as an important part of the community,” Janairo said.
He also advised participants that their age should not hinder them from remaining productive and active members of society.
“We can always find something meaningful to do, something passionate that you want to do like tutor children, volunteer, work for the community,” he added.
He also encouraged the seniors to stay active, keep fit, continue doing the things they enjoy to maintain their strength, balance and flexibility and promote cardiovascular health.
“We need physical activity to help us stay healthy to prevent illness. Eat well, sleep more, reduce stress and best of all, look and feel better,” he added.
Around 700 senior citizens received free health services at the town's auditorium.
Elderly beneficiaries, aged 60 to over 85 years old, received free health care services such pneumococcal immunization, preventive dentistry, blood testing (glucose, uric acid, cholesterol), general health care assessment and provision of vitamin supplements and maintenance medicines.
The DOH Calabarzon, in partnership with the Association of Health Oriented Neighbors, introduced various traditional complementary and alternative modalities to monitor and assess the senior citizens' over-all health like the use of Live Blood Analysis, Disease Prevention Analyzer, Hypotential Therapy and Electric Acupuncture machines.
National Statistics Office (NSO) data showed that Lumban, Laguna has 2,544 senior citizens in 2015 – 1,634 aged 60-69 years old, 666 aged 70-79 years old, and 244 aged 80 years and above. The town has a total population of 30,652. (PNA)
