SM Tuli MBBS MS PhD FAMS
Senior Consultant Vimhans PrimaMed Super Speciality Hospital New Delhi, India
Neena Bhasin MBBS MS
Medical Officer Anand Arogya Mandir New Delhi, India
Punya Bhasin MA BEd
PGT Psychology New Delhi, India
Foreword
Shridhar Dwivedi
-fm13Virtual and Real Life
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Guidelines for Ageing with Health, Grace and Dignity
First Edition: 2019
9789352705825
Printed at
-fm5Dedicated to
“MOTHER INDIA” and mothers of the world who strive to maintain the fabric of families and nurture the culture in homo sapiens.-fm6
-fm7Foreword
It is a most poignant moment of my life to write few words about the book Guidelines for Ageing with Health, Grace and Dignity penned by my teacher Professor SM Tuli who is not only a teacher of teachers for generations but continues to look after sick and wounded at age past eighty exhorting us to do our best. Through this book, he gives us guidelines how to cope best with important health and related socioeconomic issues in twilight years of one's life. He has given us the essence of his vast clinical experience while dealing with elderly people. The book has (contains) eleven chapters. He has candidly dealt several aspects of ageing starting from realization, family support networking, its abuse, various options regarding their home/shelter, loneliness particularly so for females in case the spouse dies early, steps to mitigate loneliness, mindfulness, financial issues in sunset years, lessons to be learnt from Japan which has world's most elderly people, various food options for elderly, protective steps for de-stressing, diabetes, cancer and blood pressure. Passage on Yoga is something which makes this book invaluable for elderly. Description of psychoneurological disorders is a special feature which assumes significance in view of increasing cases of dementia, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinsonism, etc. As our daily routine has gone haywire and sleep hygiene so faulty, a chapter on ‘Biological Clock of Sleep’ is so timely and relevant for all of us. It would be apt to mention that work on ‘Biological Clock’ has been awarded Nobel Prize of Medicine last year. His suggestions to keep the bedroom screen free/digital free -fm8is very important for all those who wish to enjoy sound sleep and good health.
As our longevity has increased tremendously concurrent with improvement in socioeconomic status and health, it is not uncommon to find the last days spent in intensive care units with tubes all around in nostrils, food pipe, urinary passage and veins punctured at several places with no hope for meaningful life to return. At such times one sometimes thinks very poignantly what the fun of such vegetative life is. Why not have a peaceful end to such existence. Professor Tuli has discussed this aspect of human ordeal in a very humane manner. The suggestions regarding medical and spiritual care is a welcome feature of this book. Taking all these plus points into consideration this book will not only be valuable companion for lay people, but also for students interested in geriatric care who wish to understand the dynamics of ageing, its familial, social and biological aspects.
It would be no exaggeration to say if many of us follow the guiding principles of this book in our early adulthood, the sunset years would be peaceful, productive and gracious indeed.
Shridhar Dwivedi
Senior Consultant Cardiologist
National Heart Institute
Former Dean/Principal
Hamdard Institute of Medical Sciences and Research
New Delhi, India
-fm9Preface
The Guidelines for Ageing with Health, Grace and Dignity, has been compiled by collecting the observations made by the three contributors belonging to three different generations. Dr SM Tuli is an octogenarian having worked in government medical institutions and dealt with the medical issues of senior citizens, the efforts needed from the families and healthcare facilities. Dr Neena Bhasin is mature in age, a medical doctor working in a charity health providing organization. Punya Bhasin belongs to the growing age and is a teacher of psychology for senior classes in a school. All the three contributors have lived their life in generational families—four or three generations living together under the same roof. Dr SM Tuli has put together the observations by reflecting back on his life, past the age of 14 years since 1945. He saw the tremendous devastation caused by the partition of the Indian-subcontinent, turning lacs of people homeless and families lost in transition. The seniors of the surviving families struggled and used their wisdom to gather facilities for food, shelter and clothing, not only for their first relations but also for extended families who tragically had lost everything and left “alone”. The exemplary compassion shown by the seniors did pass on to the next generations influencing their behavior for approximately next 25 years.
We observed amongst our families (both immediate and extended) people following a “healthy lifestyle” reaching senior age in good physical and mental health. Observations were also available regarding persons not so disciplined about the lifestyle and consequently ending up with obesity, diabetes, heart problems and psychoneurological disorders. Unfortunately, however, -fm10all families come across some persons (including medical doctors) developing brain stroke, massive heart attack, cancer, neurological disorders even amongst those observing all facets of a healthy lifestyle. These are shocking cases disturbing the total fabric of families: one wonders whether these cases related to genes, ambience how and where you live, non-apparent stress, destiny or will of God!
The senior one observed the tremendous growth of India from the British-times, to the partition, to the demographic change and challenges faced by the society during the 75 years of post-independence era. The generations struggled and survived with meager resources up to 1965s: thereafter the country observed tremendous increase in the middle-class segment of the society, almost universal education, global job opportunities for workers, blue-collar people, highly specialized professionals. Evolution of information technology gave use inputs for universal style of living, food, education and other facilities. Internet connectivity provided us with an illusion of virtual “global connectivity”, but at the same time created a chasm (gap) between people. How all these developments have affected the real life of senior citizens as perceived by the three generation are presented here.
Later half of 20th century provided us unprecedented achievements which made available effective vaccinations, safe antibiotics, better nutrition, improved hygiene, better medical infrastructure, which brought the demographic change in the India-subcontinent. This write-up aims to suggest simple and practical guidelines for all of us to thrive during youth and reach senior age with health, security, grace and dignity.
SM Tuli
Neena Bhasin
Punya Bhasin
-fm11Acknowledgements
I am thankful to Mr Kundan Kumar, who prepared the type-script; and Mr Amit Kumar for preparing the illustrations. We appreciate the families and people who interacted with us in the hospitals, places of work, and social gathering, thus providing helpful information for this write-up. This is my third book with M/s Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers (P) Ltd, New Delhi, India, it speaks for their proficiency to tolerate an author like myself.
-fm12Song of Life
Start with one and
End with one
In this journey, of emotions
Sometimes sorrow & sometimes fun
Like sometimes cloudy & sometimes sun.
For this journey
Each one of us is a part of someone
Thus let us try to help those someones.
Don't you tell this to anyone
As they're going to make it's fun
This is the story of everyone
Try not to hurt anyone
Start with one and end with one.
Composed and written by
Gagan Joshi and SM Tuli
Use technology
Not all the time
Find time to love
Your family
Find time for
Ageing parents
When they can no longer
Look after themselves
You will feel blessed
Not have guilt of neglecting your
Parents when
They needed you
To keep going
As a sense of duty
It should be
Daughters too
Not sons always
To realize
Their sense of duty
Who had all the
Times and resources
They did their duty
With endless love
Surely you can do your
Duty to hold
Their hands!
Composed and written by
Dr Kiran Devendra