Hyderabad, October 10th 2025: The L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) continues to lead transformative change in elderly health care through its Centres for Elderly Eye Care available at the Kallam Anji Reddy (KAR) Campus, Hyderabad and the four tertiary centres – GMR Varalakshmi Campus, Visakhapatnam; Mithu Tulsi Chanrai (MTC) campus, Bhubaneswar; Kode Venkatadri Chowdary (KVC) campus, Vijayawada; Raja Sekhara Reddy (RSR) campus, Kadapa.
Moving beyond conventional vision care, LVPEI has set a national example by integrating holistic health assessments into routine eye care by aligning with the World Health Organization’s Integrated Care for Older People (ICOPE) framework, developed as part of the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing.
Integrating WHO’s ICOPE Framework
In January 2025, LVPEI launched ICOPE screening through specially trained Ophthalmic Nursing Assistants (ONAs). Using simple, structured tools, ONAs screen and assess cognition, mobility, nutrition, vision, hearing, and depression. These screenings help identify early risks such as memory impairment, malnutrition, hearing loss, balance issues, or depression, facilitating timely referrals, and multidisciplinary support.
Fall Prevention Experience Centre
Falls are a leading cause of injury among the elderly, often occurring in bathrooms or on stairs. To address this, LVPEI established Fall Prevention Experience Centres at all of its Centres for Elderly Eye Care. These centres serve as interactive spaces demonstrating practical safety features such as:
- Shower chairs and hand showers for safe bathing
- Grab bars and dual-sided stair railings for balanced support
- LED lighting for improved visibility
- Normal vs. anti-skid tile displays to emphasize safe flooring choices
- Contrast taping on steps for better depth perception
- Walking sticks and reacher-grabber tools to curb over-reaching
These centres educate seniors and caregivers on simple, effective modifications and habits that can greatly reduce fall hazards — regular vision and hearing checks, daily exercise, improved lighting, and accessible home design.
Fall Prevention Week 2025 Activities
During the Falls Prevention Week LVPEI launched a week-long awareness drive for its staff and their families. A series of sessions were also organized in the elderly waiting lounges. Sessions included:
- Importance of regular exercise to improve balance
- Importance of maintaining a balanced diet for strength
- Physiotherapy session focusing on mobility and posture
- Awareness session on common eye diseases and the importance of regular eye check-ups
- Interactive games on identifying fall hazards at home and encouraging clutter-free spaces
- Puppet show on LVPEI@Home services, showcasing at home eye care options for the elderly with mobility challenges
These sessions not only raised awareness among the elderly and their care givers but also encouraged them to extend these learnings to their households, reinforcing preventive care.
Celebrating the International Day for Older Persons, October 1
LVPEI celebrated the International Day for Older Persons, themed “Older Persons Driving Local and Global Action: Our Aspirations, Our Well-Being, Our Rights.” The celebrations were held across LVPEI Centres for Elderly Eye Care emphasizing appreciation, social connection, and active aging. The day featured:
- Warm welcome with bouquets presented to elderly patients
- Tea, coffee, and biscuits fostering a friendly, social environment
- A selfie booth where patients and families captured special memories
- Cake cutting ceremony celebrating life, togetherness, and joy
- Fun games and prizes encouraging participation and engagement
- Planting small potted plants symbolizing continued growth, vitality, and well-being
Commitment to the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing
LVPEI’s Centres for elderly eye care are envisioned to mainstream the four pillars of the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing – Combating Ageism, Creating Age-friendly Environments, Providing Integrated Care, and Ensuring Long-term Support.
“Embedding WHO’s ICOPE framework into routine eye care has helped us take a whole-person approach to elderly well-being. Through initiatives like our Fall Prevention Centres and celebrations that value the lives and experiences of older adults, we aim to redefine how ageing is perceived and supported in India.” said Dr Avinash Pathengay, Head – Elderly Eye Care across the LVPEI network, speaking on the occasion of the International Day for Older Persons.