Save Our Seniors

Senior citizens are the most vulnerable to infections in Corona season. Our panel of experts evolves a timely survival kit for the elderly.

- Aasheesh Sharma

In times when the planet is fighting a pandemic triggered by a deadly virus, one of the most vulnerable to the infection could be the senior citizens in our family. The elderly may have shielded us from the vagaries of life and taught us to brave many a personal storm, but in their winter, they are prone to feel helpless when the defences of their body and mind are on the decline. MAIL TODAY spoke to eminent experts about strategies which can safeguard our seniors in the face of Covid-19.

STATS STACKED AGAINST THEM

According to Census 2011, India is home to about 104 million senior citizens. Many of these, particularly those who are aged 60 or more, could be suffering from chronic ailments such as diabetes and hypertension.

Last month the Union government’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare announced that the elderly accounted for 63% of deaths owing to Covid-19 till then. “The rate of mortality is directly linked with increasing age. People above of 60 are four times more vulnerable, nine times if the age is above 70 and 15 times if they are over 80,” says Dr Bimal Chhajer, ex-consultant, AIIMS, New Delhi, and Director, SAAOL Heart centre.

“Apart from just chronological age, those with existing heart condition have around 12 per cent increased chances of mortality due to the Coronavirus infection. Co-morbidity of diabetes and hypertension further raises the mortality risk by up to eightfold because of lowered immunity and decreased speed of body response to tackle inflammation with increased age along with viral myocarditis to some extent,” elaborates Dr Chhajer.

DEPLETED IMMUNITY