AFVOA Newletters of Year 2003

Page 74 of 170 a nonagenarian), Gen Aban Naidu mentioned that the essential thread that ran trough his life and that of Mrs. Naidu, was the warmth, affection and love that they had met with everywhere at very many stations that marked their postings during the General’s career (an illustrious one, as most of us know). The General, striking a personal note, mentioned their satisfaction with the fact that despite having done duty by the Nation in Canada, the UK, and the USA, their children had come up strongly reflecting the Indian ethos. Gen Sundara Rao, who has been our patron since the inception of the AFVOA, mentioned various highlights of his career, including the fact that serving in the Indian Army had given him an opportunity of visiting as many as 37 countries. Lt (RINVR) KA Rajagopalan was, to put it in his own words, as youthfully cheeky as ever, and invited the entire assembly, in all sincerity, to the forthcoming celebration of his having attained the milestone of fourscore years! This ceremony (the Ashtabdipurthi) was to be conducted on 31 st July, at the AVM Kalyana Mandapam. He requested that his appeal be treated as a formal invitation to each member. The next item on the agenda was also a prized one, being in the nature of a talk by Dr V S Natarajan, the well known pioneering geriatric physician. Dr Natarajan’s commitment to the cause of the rapidly greying population of this country is well known to many. That he is rightly respected for this is evident from the fact that he drove down directly to the meeting from an engagement at Melmaruthavur, unable, as he put it, to say no to the request from AVM Krishnaswamy. An added incentive to him was the fact that Gen Aban Naidu, who has worked together with him in projects relating to the elderly, was to be felicitated. Some of us have heard Dr Natarajan before, and many have read his books in English and in Tamil on the subjects of ageing and care for the elderly. However, the content of his talk that followed would place it as among his best ones on the subject. Dr Natarajan stated that as we age, our organs shrink in size (including, quite unfortunately, the BRAIN, which by the age of 70 years loses 40 % of its mass). The only exception to this shrinking phenomenon was the prostrate gland in elderly males. Factors that impinge upon one’s well being or otherwise in old age (defined as above 60 years, in the current Indian context) were: a) Genetic factors b) Habits (Alcohol intake, smoking, drug abuse etc) c) Environment (absence or otherwise of clean air, water, and the effect of noise pollution) Dr Natarajan mentioned that one should consider the landmark of 50 years as the beginning of the “youth” of old age. This should impel us to visit a family physician at least once a year upto the milestone of 65 years, after which the frequency of visits to the doctor should be once every SIX months. Such visits were absolutely necessary even if one were “full of beans” and feeling “fit and fine” in order to detect certain silent enemies such as TB, BP, cancer, and heart attacks. Dr Natarajan mentioned that as a consequence of the shrinking of organs, ageing, and reducing activity, appetite reduces, as well as the sense of taste. This makes it very essential that the QUALITY of NUTRITION be maintained or enhanced. We need, as a rule, more protein, calcium, minerals, and vitamins. It was very strongly urged that we switch over to a wheat or ragi diet after 60 years. It becomes essential to eat more fibre, for which ragi is the best, since in addition, it contains no sugar and no cholesterol. Proteins are best sourced (even for non vegetarians, who he advised should switch to vegetarianism after 60), from mushrooms, of which at least 2 or 3 helpings a week would be needed. Salads, fruits and vegetables must form an invariable part of our DAILY diet.