Why is the world ignoring older women's health?
"If young women's lives and children's lives are important, why not an older woman's?"
I'm always highly cynical of when people write or talk about their "awakening" moment, their "a-ha moment".
Maybe I'm just envious because I don't ever seem to have one of those moments. But it happened this week. I think.
Apparently 80% of the older people coming to one of the rural health centres in Nowshera, Pakistan that I visited this week, are older women. This seems remarkable high.
I ask one of the doctors, Dr Wagma, why this is the case.
Older women's health issues
Dr Wagma said: "Older women come for many reasons. A lot of it we can put down to psycho-social causes, but the symptoms are hypertension, acute respiratory infections, vague general body aches.
"20% of the older women I see are suffering from psycho-social illnesses such as depression. But the other 80% are in real physical need of treatment.
"Most of these illnesses are either directly or indirectly related to post-menopause - arthiritis, osteoporosis, or uterus lapses and vaginal bleeding due to difficult and multiple childbirths."
What can Dr Wagma do to improve older women's health?
"Many would benefit from hormone therapies, as well as treatment for depression and hypertension. But these medicines are expensive and cannot be accessed publicly. It can be access privately, but this needs money.
"It also involves seeking permission from her husband for the money to be spent on this."
"In my opinion", says Dr Wagma, "every woman in old age is suffering bad health because of reproductive health reasons.
I wish someone focus on older women's health
"I wish someone out there cared and would focus on older women's health. If young women's lives and children's lives are important, why not an older woman's? I'm looking at myself in the future when I'm asking this question."
That was my awakening moment. Why aren't we doing more on older women's health?
Why aren't WHO or UNFPA agencies deeply concerned about this? Maybe they are but we don't hear about it.
Why don't our national governments, and international donors take this seriously? Why is the menopause still a bit of a joke, relying on older feminists and writers to draw attention to it?
Does reproductive health exclude post-reproductive women?
If so, is this right?
Comment by Patricia M Sears Posted on 26th Jan 2011
Thank You, Rosaleen, for reminding us that reproductive health is important to the entire life-cycle of girls and women! While I am aware of NGO work on reproductive health that is acutely aware of the importance of the rights of widows (many who become ostracized in their community because they have lost that male partner... who had the most power over her life, including permission to get good health care), too often it is not given the same amount of time and resources. Your post gave me an 'a-ha' moment in the reminder that still in older age so many women around the world are neglected because they don't have 'the right' to access voluntary affordable health care. They are dependent on their husband's permission. I recall working in Nigeria, in the north in a conservative Muslim community, and listening to a husband who after attending a health-care center w/his wife and learning from the provider how the care could positively impact not only his wife's health and well-being, it would also positively impact the children, him and his community because the preventions would cost less and save lives. He, the husband, was amazed and had his 'aha' moment re the value of his wife as a partner in their family. From then on, his wife was able to attend to the health and education of his family w/o his 'permission'. He trusted her as a partner. They communicated as partners. One other story. This one from Nepal. We were attending a National Condom Day event and being the only white woman (w/bright white hair!) I stood out like a bright light. A grandmother asked the translator to bring me to her. The translator hesitated because the woman said she wanted to yell at me. And she did. She asked why they were just now learning about condoms and reproductive health care! She had 14 pregnancies and only 3 children survived. She brought her daughter, daughter-in-laws and granddaughters to the event to learn how they could take better care of themselves and their families. And communities. Older women are worthy in their own right. They are priceless partners. They are influencers and solution-oriented. Older women can save more lives. Reproductive health care is a human right. Thank you, Rosaleen, and Thank you Help-Age for the good work you are doing. UNFPA & WHO need to be even better partners for women's health.