Majority of the UAE population estimated to be older in functional age
- Image Credit: Pankaj Sharma/Gulf News
- Lung forced vital capacity test being done with the H-Scan machine, which measures physical biomarkers of ageing like sensory, cognitive, motor and pulmonary (lung) functions by Dr Mohammed, senior specialist geriatrician and head of medical affairs (standing) at Community Centre for the Elderly in Al Mamzar.
Dubai: The majority of the UAE population is estimated to be older in functional age compared to their chronological age, according to a senior geriatrician at the Community Centre for the Elderly in Al Mamzar.
An early diagnosis can help slow and even reverse some of the symptoms associated with ageing like loss of sensory, cognitive, motor and pulmonary (lung) functions.
The centre, under the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), claims to house the first diagnostic machine in the country that determines the gap between functional and chronological age.
The senior geriatrician urged residents as young as 45 to get their functional age tested.
Speaking to Gulf News, Dr Mohammad Jameel Al Noamani, Senior Specialist Geriatrician and Head of Medical Affairs at the Centre, said that he undertook a sample study of 15 people in their mid-40s, using the machine.
“Of the cases, 95 per cent were older in functional age,” he said.
The reasons for the older functional age he said are varied, and include diseases like diabetes and hypertension along with unhealthy lifestyle patterns. Going by the current incidence of lifestyle diseases coupled with a more sedentary lifestyle in the UAE, he estimates that most people will have an older functional age.
In light of this, he stressed the benefit of healthy ageing. “Once we diagnose a loss in function at an earlier stage, we can recommend clinical interventions like cognitive therapies or lifestyle modification. There is little specialists can do if a person comes for treatment at the age of 60,” he said.
Depending on the results, we can tailor programmes to slow the ageing process and maximise functioning, he added.
In a media statement, Jasem Mohammad Kalban, Acting Director of the Centre, said that a day-care outpatient programme has also been introduced. “The aim of this service is to encourage the elderly who do not require in-patient services to get themselves checked regularly so that they can reduce or even prevent the complications associated with ageing.”
The centre has 30 in-patients and 50 out-patients.
