Gearing up for geriatric care

The percentage of elderly people in the population is increasing all the time, and this in turn is causing an increased demand of geriatric services and health care, which our hospitals and health care system are simply not geared to provide. Age management assumes greater importance in such a scenario. The two-year postgraduate diploma in Age Management and Applied Sciences offered by the Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University in Chennai, in collaboration with the Harley Street Medical Park (HSMP), is a small step in the right direction.

Course focus

While changes in lifestyle and unhealthy dietary habits have quickened the process of ageing, there are also a number of medical concerns that need to be addressed in the elderly, such as diabetes, which by itself is an entry point for a multitude of diseases. The course will focus on such subjects.

This partnership between MGR Medical University and HSMP also focuses on research and clinical trials in clinical age management, regenerative stem cell therapy, clinical genomics, preventive cardiology, functional fitness, neutraceuticals, and preventive psychiatry. The HSMP is also establishing, at Chennai, a modern health institute and clinical departments to develop and implement novel methodologies of preventive medicine using the principles of age management. “Teaching will be by a core group of faculty drawn from centres of excellence across the world,” says Dr Meer Mustafa Hussain, Vice-Chancellor of Dr  MGR University.

The difference between biological age and chronological age becomes all the more apparent as you grow older, and there is a need to make lifestyle changes to be fit and healthy. The study of these differences come under age management and this might become a hot topic in the future, considering that the age graph of our population is increasing all the time. The course would also enable the country to access state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment, selective bio-informatics currently used by HSMP. The programme is also expected to generate an information database that would be useful to state and central governments.

Admission and eligibility

Students completing MBBS are eligible to apply for this course. The fee structure and application form may be obtained from the university in the first week of January, 2010.
For more details, contact Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University, Post Box No. 1200, No. 69, Anna Salai, Guindy, Chennai-600 032, Tamil Nadu. Ph: 44-22353574/22353576-79. E-mail: [e-mail] or [e-mail] or log on to www.tnmmu.ac.in