Elderly eye care: Towards a Better Quality of Life

We live in a world where people live longer than ever before. Large gains in life expectancy in both developed and developing countries has resulted in increase in elderly population (60 years and older) who are likely to be nearly 2 billion by 2050. More importantly, by 2050, the elderly population is expected to outnumber children (<15 years). India is no exception and faces challenge of population aging, with about 315 million elderly in 2050. A rapidly growing older population implies the need for a higher quantity and quality of elderly care services given that they are susceptible to health problems - both physical and cognitive.Functional ability is a growing concern for this 60+ population and disability is one of the most important determinants of health and quality of life of elderly.

Healthy aging is the goal of all involved in elderly health care. Given this, the demand for preventive, promotive and curative care and rehabilitative services will increase phenomenally and will have a significant impact on resource allocation in public health system. The complex needs of the elderly population demand the attention of an array of professionals in order to formulate and execute comprehensive care plans.

We bring together eminent professionals/researchers (18 from Australia, Canada, India and the USA working in various domains of elderly health care) as speakers in our first-ever symposium: Elderly eye care: Towards a Better Quality of Life, EQOL 2021 to share their vast experience.

The virtual symposium will cover:

• Prevalence and causes of vision impairment in elderly and disabilities and non-communicable diseases
• Age-related changes and how we can make the environment more visually accessible
• Identify risk factors and develop effective prevention strategies for falls
• How to address issues related to vision impairment and driving in elderly
• Ways to differentiate between dementia and forgetfulness
• Challenges from dual sensory loss in elderly
• Manage low vision and provision of occupational therapy for elderly
• Reasons for reduced physical activity in elderly and its implications

Attendees will leave this symposium with new insights and better understanding on how to recognize, screen, and manage the gamut of issues related to elderly care in a more effective and complementary manner.

• Completely online at the comfort of your homes/offices

Come and join the academic feast as we aim to promote and strive for healthy aging and happy aging of our elderly !

Vijaya Gothwal
On behalf of the Institute for Elderly Eye Care, EQOL Organizing team