The elderly population is dubbed as the “fastest growing segment of the Philippine population”, a study made by the University of the Philippines Population Institute (UPPI) in 2006 said.

Filipinos 60 years and above number between seven and eight million, Dr. Shelley Ann dela Vega of the National Institutes of Health in UP Manila said in a similar study that she made.

Dela Vega’s paper revealed the scarcity of health professionals who were trained to care for the elderly in a holistic way.

Dela Vega’s study, titled “Status of Geriatric Education in Philippine Medical Schools”, aims to make authorities aware of the need to create professionals who cater to the elderly and include in the medicine curriculum this system of approach.

“The Philippines needs to prepare for the burgeoning population of older persons. The population 60 years and above has grown at a very rapid rate, increasing from 3.2 million in 1990 to 4.6 million in 2000. By the year 2030, 10 percent of our population would be composed of senior citizens,” Dela Vega said in the study.

In an interview, the expert said she sent copies of the study to the Commission on Higher Education, Department of Health, Department of Social Welfare and Development, and the Association of Philippine Medical Colleges.

The study covered 23 schools and found out that only 18 had geriatrics as part of a required course. These include UP, University of Santo Tomas, St. Luke’s Medical school, Cebu Doctor’s Hospital and Ateneo School of Medicine.

Geriatrics is a sub-specialty of medicine focusing on the care for the elderly.

An interesting part in the study revealed that most of the graduating students think they have the know-how to take care of the elderly in outpatient clinics and hospitals. However, only 61 percent of teachers think they possess the necessary knowledge, attitude, and practice for a job that entails caring for the elderly.

Dela Vega cited the factors that affect the development of a suitable geriatric program that would cater to the elderly in a holistic manner.

These include lack of clinical educators, lack of senior research faculty, lack of junior research faculty, and lack of access to medical students’ curricular time.

“The care for the elderly should be holistic. For instance, surgeons should know how to take care of older patients, like what medications could cause confusion or affect the memory of older patients after surgery,” she said.

Over the years, the life-expectancy of Filipinos has been increasing. From 65 to 67 years in 1995, now it stands at 72 to 73.

Dela Vega credited this to the improvement in healthcare as well as the development off new vaccines that prevent diseases.

She added that there are now better drugs that could prevent strokes and heart attacks.