Age Care Foundation was established in the year 2012, as a charitable trust to serve two most vulnerable sections of society, "The Elederly"&"The Sick", particularly those suffering from incurable illnesses, by providing quality Geritric&Palliative Care. Age Care Foundation was established in 2012, as a charitable trust to serve two of the most vulnerable sections of the society namely the "elderl
y” and “sick” particularly those suffering from incurable illnesses. a) Palliative Care: Palliative care is a medical specialty that provides an extra layer of support and care for persons living with serious illnesses like advanced cancer, organ failures(Kidney/Liver/Heart), neuro-degenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s/Parkinson’s disease etc. These patients experience a lot of suffering because of the symptoms caused by the disease and also the side effects of the treatment. The symptoms include pain, shortness of breath, difficulty in swallowing, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, lack of sleep, depression, delirium etc. For patients with incurable illnesses, continuity of care is of utmost importance. We ensure this, by providing support in all settings whether it is at hospice or patient’s home. Institutional care: Inpatient care is provided at the hospice located in Gayatri Vidya Parishad Medical College Hospital, Marikavalasa, Visakhapatnam. Patients are admitted for relief from severe physical symptoms or for end-of-life care. We also train the family members to give them the confidence and skills to look after their loved ones when they leave our facility and go back home.. The Goal and Approach: The goal of palliative care is to improve the quality of life for both the patient and his/her family members, by adopting a holistic approach. While relief from physical symptoms is the first priority, all efforts are made to address the emotional, psychological, social and spiritual concerns of the patients and their family members. Home Care: Home care is provided by our mobile medical team for patients who can be cared for at their own homes. The patient and families are regularly counselled. The frequency of visits depends upon the care needs of the patient.Tele-consultation with Palliative care physician is provided as part of the home care visit. b)Geriatric Care:
Geriatric medicine is a medical specialty that is related to the specific health care needs of older adults. The Indian elderly face several social issues such as loneliness, elder abuse, neglect, lack of income security and poor access to healthcare. Most of them suffer from at least one chronic illness like heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes. We have been providing geriatric care services to the under privileged elderly in our community for the last ten years. Out-reach Clinics: We conduct clinics for elderly persons at eight different locations in the city; one rural clinic at Chodavaram and one tribal clinic near Paderu, where free testing and consultation is provided with special emphasis to patients suffering from chronic non-communicable diseases like diabetes, hypertension etc. Medicines are dispensed free of cost to patients from poor families and about 800 patients avail our services every month. Old Age Home Visits: Our Geriatric care team consisting of doctors, nurses and trained volunteers visit various old age homes in the city to provide basic healthcare to the inmates. Medicines are dispensed free of cost, during the visits. We serve around 200 elderly residents every month. Awareness Creation and Advocacy: The foundation is actively involved in conducting awareness / advocacy campaigns with regards to health issues of elders, palliative care and dementia. Age Care Foundation is soon going to establish
a 90 bedded integrated medical care facility to provide Geriatric Care and Palliative Care under one roof at Gambhiram, Visakhapatnam. This will be done in association with Free Polio Surgical & Research Foundation.
