Pharmacist Urges Aged Nigerians To Prioritize Nutrition, Regular Medical Checks

By Tunde Akanbi, Ilorin

The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Kwara State chapter, has urged older Nigerians to prioritise balanced diets, regular medical examinations and healthy lifestyle choices to prevent age-related diseases and improve their quality of life.

The chairman of the chapter, Munirat Kikelomo Bello, gave the advice in Ilorin while delivering a lecture at a one-day health sensitisation programme organised by the Kwara chapter of the National League of Veteran Journalists (NALVEJ).

Bello, who spoke on the topic, “Nutrition, Diet and Healthy Ageing,” said proper nutrition and healthy living were essential to preventing diseases and managing health conditions commonly associated with old age.

She identified arthritis, hypertension, diabetes, osteoporosis and cardiovascular diseases among the conditions that could be prevented or better managed through appropriate dietary choices and healthy lifestyles.

The pharmacist said ageing should not be regarded as a stage of life when people must resign themselves to ill health, stressing that adequate nutrition, physical activity and regular medical care could improve the well-being of older adults.

She urged veteran journalists and other elderly Nigerians to pay greater attention to their nutritional needs and adopt healthy habits that would enable them to remain active and enjoy a better quality of life.

Also speaking at the programme, former Editor-in-Chief of News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mr Muftau Ojo,urged members of the league to make their health a priority, warning that ignorance of one’s health condition could have serious consequences.

Ojo stressed the importance of regular medical examinations, early detection of health problems and prompt attention to unusual symptoms.

He encouraged the veteran journalists to take advantage of available healthcare services and embrace preventive healthcare practices to sustain their health and productivity in old age.

The participants commended the organisers and the PSN for the initiative, describing the health education programme as relevant to journalists who had spent several decades in active service.

In his vote of thanks, the Assistant Secretary of NALVEJ Kwara, Felix Ajide, said members had learnt useful lessons from the sensitisation programme and urged them to apply the knowledge by making their health a priority.

Ajide thanked Bello for honouring the league’s invitation and delivering the lecture, while praying for God’s continued blessings upon her.

Earlier in his remarks, the Chairman of NALVEJ, Kwara Chapter, Alhaji Tunde Akanbi, described the lecture as timely and insightful.

Akanbi said the league organised the sensitization as part of its welfare package to keep members fit and informed about health issues associated with ageing.

He commended the PSN Chairman for honouring the invitation and pledged that the league would sustain health programmes for its members.