For healthy elderly
SENATOR Francis Tolentino filed a bill seeking a comprehensive nutrition program for senior citizens in a bid to strengthen the nation’s current nutritional framework.
Tolentino’s Senate Bill No. 1799 or the “Comprehensive Senior Citizen Welfare Act,” provides that the Department of Health (DOH) in coordination with local government units (LGUs), non-government organizations (NGOs), and people’s organizations (POs) for senior citizens, shall institute a national health program and shall provide an integrated health service for the elderlies.
“Good nutrition is very essential in all age groups, most especially in the elderly. It provides the energy and nutrients that would help prevent or manage certain lifestyle diseases. Unfortunately, our government has somehow been remiss in providing this comprehensive nutritional support to our elderly,” Tolentino’s explanatory note stated.
The program enshrined under SB 1799 shall train community-based health workers among senior citizens and health personnel to specialize in the geriatric care and health problems of senior citizens.
Tolentino stressed that despite the increase in the financial benefits and privileges implemented by the national government to the country’s ‘aging’ population–consisting of around 9.2-million people or around 8.5 percent of the country’s total population–through the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010 as well as the law which gives additional social pension for those in the indigent cluster, “majority of these financial benefits are just consumed by our senior citizens for the purchase of maintenance medicines.”
The bill mandates the National Nutrition Council (NCC), in coordination with DOH and every LGUs in the country to prepare a comprehensive nutrition and wellness program for senior citizens which shall be disseminated and made available to every locality for the awareness of every senior citizen.
Under SB 1799, the LGUs shall conduct regular visitation to every senior citizen within their jurisdiction to ensure that their elderly constituents are able to consume a healthy diet in accordance with the comprehensive nutrition and wellness program and appropriate to their health condition.
“At this point in time, nutrition plays a very crucial role and requires special attention as Filipinos reach old age,” the senator said.
