GERIATRICS: A RAY OF HOPE THROUGH AYURVEDA

As the incidence of elderly people is rising in the population world over including India, it is now felt necessary to develop newer strategies for Geriatric health care. Accordingly Geriatrics is emerging as a major medical specialty globally. Conventional system of medicine has nothing much to offer in the core area of geriatric care except the medical management of the diseases of old age. Ayurveda, the Indian traditional holistic health science has broad spectrum of preventive measures for combating the ageing process. It has a focused branch called Rasayana which deals primarily with geriatric problems. Prevention and management of health problems could help the elderly to improve quality of life and remain self-dependent for their daily activities to maximum possible extent. Hence what all is needed is to retard the rate of aging to a limited extent and to promote healthy aging. There is considerable scope to develop a safe and cost-effective protocol for geriatric care on the basis of Ayurvedic life-style management, Rasayana therapy and practice of yoga.