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Presented At the 1st International Conference
Of Geriatrics 10-12 November 2013 Convened By the Employee Health Department Of
King Fahad Medical City by Prof Omar Hasan Kasule MB ChB (MUK), MPH (Harvard)
DrPH (Harvard) Faculty of Medicine King Fahad Medical City Riyadh on 11th
November 2013 8.30-8.55am
DEFINITION
·
The age of 60 has a special meaning; if someone
reaches the age of 60 he need expect a new lease of life[4].
·
Old age is a period of limited work because of
physical impairments[5].
This is weakness after the period of youthful strength and energy[6]
·
Because of their physical handicaps the elderly
are exempted from social and religious obligations[7]
beyond their physical and mental capacity.
THE LIFE
SPAN
·
The life span is fixed, al ajalmusamma[8],
it cannot be shortened or lengthened by any human.
·
Life beyond the age of 100 years is rare[9]
but is possible; the Prophets Isa and Nuh lived more than 1000 years.
·
Medical research on preventing or reversing
aging should have the aim of improving the quality of life until the fixed
moment of death but cannot prolong life beyond what Allah set.
CLOSE OF
THE LIFE CYCLE
·
Old age is towards the close of the life cycle
that starts with childhood, tufuulat, then youth, sinn al shudd,
then maturity, sinn al rushd, then old age, shaykhuukha.
·
With old age the reproductive / generative
function ends but there are exceptions like Ibrahim and Zakariyah becoming
fathers at a late age.
·
Old age is a time of maximum wisdom to guide
the rest
AGEING
PROCESS
·
Ageing is a natural process whose rate and
extent are determined by genetic, social, dietary, and disease factors.
·
Old age does not mean illness some people are
physically healthy into advanced ages.
·
Not all 60+ have the
same physical or psychosocial status.
·
Geriatric care should not set itself the task
of reversing natural processes of senescence but should aim at alleviating
associated disease conditions that are a deviation from the normal.
LONGEVITY:
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
·
Humans love longevity the prophet mentioned
that people stay young in 2 ways: love of the world and long hopes[10].
·
Physical incapacities make advanced age, ardhal
al umr[11],
Unpleasant and accumulated negative life experiences with no hope of turning
things around can cause depression.
·
The advantage of longer life is more time to
contribute to society and to expiate for past failures.
·
However the physical disabilities of old age
reach a point when they outweigh the psychological and social advantages.
RIGHTS
OF THE ELDERLY
·
The legal rights and obligations of the elderly
may be restricted because of their intellectual impairment when they cannot
make decisions about their person and their wealth.
·
The elderly should be tested for decisional
capacity before being asked to make decisions about their treatment.
·
If incompetent, medical decisions should be
based on advance directives or [proxy decision makers.
THE
OBLIGATION OF CARE FOR THE ELDERLY ..1
·
Islam has enjoined respecting rights of the
elderly, ‘irfanhaqq al kabir[12].
It is a grave sin to ignore these rights.
·
Most Islamic discourse about the elderly was
addressed to elderly parents; if everybody took good care of their elderly
parents, there would no community social burdens related to old age.
·
Stresses of modern life including full-time
work outside the home force many offspring to seek professional care for their
elderly parents in nursing homes an unpleasant but unavoidable alternative.
ETIQUETTE
WITH THE ELDERLY
·
The offspring must bear with patience any
annoying demands from their parents. It is a grave sin to neglect these rights.
·
The elderly have a right to be treated with
extra care because of their dependent status. The offspring are enjoined to
treat their parents well in their old age, birr
al waalidayn[13][14],
and this is considered among the
best of endeavors.
·
Mistreatment of parents, ‘uquuq al waalidayn[15],
is a major sin. This covers parents of others.
·
If you mistreat someone’s parent someone else
may mistreat your parents.
REFERENCES
[1]Qur’an 3:40, 11:72, 12:78, 16:70, 19:4,
22:5, 26:171, 28:23, 30:54, 37:135, 40:67, 51:29
[2]Qur’an 2:266,
3:40, 4:6, 12:78, 14:39, 15:54, 17:23,
19:8, 28:23)
[3]Bukhari
Hadith No 6371
[4]MukhtasarBukhari
hadith No. 2095
[5] Qur’an
28:23
[6] Qur’an 30:54,
40:67
[9]MukhtasarBukhari
Hadith No 368, MukhtasarBukhari Hadith No. 96
[10]Bukhari
Hadith No 6420
[11]Bukhari
Hadith No 6374
[12]TirmidhiKitaab25
Baab15; Ahmad 2: 207, 222
[13]Bukhari
Hadith No 7534
[14]BukhariKitaab78 Baab1 q3; AbudaudKitaab40 Baab119;
TrimidhiKitaab25 Baab2)