Hyderabad: A report released by Help Age India reveals that 29 per cent caregivers in Indian families feel it is a moderate to severe ‘burden of care’ to look after their elders at home. In a sign of changing times, about 35 per cent caregivers were not happy looking after the elderly, said the survey.
According to the report, Elder Abuse in India: Role of Family in Caregiving: Challenges & Responses, released on the eve of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on Friday, 29 per cent respondents admitted they would prefer that senior citizens in the family be placed in old age homes.
The study covered 2,090 caregivers in 20 cities, mainly involving sons, daughters-in-law, daughters and sons-in-law. The report focused on the generation aged 30-50 years, covering Tier 1 and 2 cities. The report identifies the top forms of abuse as disrespect, neglect and verbal abuse.
Mr Mathew Cherian, HelpAge India CEO, said, “What is amazing is that despite the abuse elders face at home at the hands of their adult children, they choose to remain within the family ambit. Their solution is always to sensitise their children, their primary caregivers, and not move away from the family.”
The report also found that 42.5 per cent caregivers paid for medical bills, and monetary help for an elder's personal habits came 57 per cent of the time, from the son against 23 per cent from the daughter-in-law.
On an average, a family spends `4,125 looking after the elderly as 78.1 per cent caregivers felt that no policy or measures are adopted by their employers to help them ease the burden of caregiving regarding the elderly at home, it noted
Emphasising on measures for the prevention of elder abuse, the report suggested subsidised medicine, better medical transportation facilities, government supported old age homes, provision of health cards, free treatment in government medical institutions, GST rebate and discounted medicines.
HelpAge launched its nationwide emergency elder helpline app ‘HelpAge SOS’ to provide help at a click of a button to an elder in need. SOS stands for Save Our Seniors.
