Bengaluru: Elders Helpline gets a total of 1200-1500 calls a month although these are the approximate registered cries of grievances with the possibility of others being hushed cannot be ruled out. The helpline gets 150-200 new grievance calls and about 600 calls inquiring about the progress of these existing grievances.
On World Senior Citizens Day celebrated widely on 21 August, the rising number of recorded grievances do not resonate the well-being of the elderly people living in the city. Rising old age homes and the rise in working population directly shadows the status of our elderly people in the city. A place to celebrate our special days, a day to sponsor meals, etc have delimited the presence and importance of our senior citizens.
“Lack of affordability and accessibility to health-related services, abuse and neglect, cheating and harassment, lack of confidence and loneliness are the nature of grievances that the elders helpline receives. Property issues and related harassments are common among these, which further lead to discomfort between them and their family,” said Dr. Radha S Murthy, Managing Trustee, Nightingales Medical Trust.
Counseling and legal help are provided in cases which demand the same. With escalation of discomforting issues within the family, the older generation is transferred to old age homes as a means of reinstalling peace in family.
Being a family-oriented society, India’s senior citizens are never happy on being isolated.
It is at this point that daycare centers for senior citizens have mushroomed. This is a means of engaging our loved ones in various enrichment activities such that they return to their homes in the evening. This way, they do not lose their bonding with the family, said S Premkumar Raja, Co Founder Nightingales Medical Trust.
While these facilities are sought by only a marginal sections of the society, there is a huge section that combats the daily life challenges in the city. Financial insecurity haunts the non-pensioners with little or no savings as they are being abandoned by their heirs. These groups depend on the government’s concessions and pensions. In this regard, Premkumar Raja sighed that senior citizen care is unfortunately not the government’s priority.While there are schemes penned down, its implementation and reach is insignificant. Listing a few examples, he said, “GOI had been planning to set up National Institute for Ageing. Now there is no news of it. While separate wards for senior citizens in hospitals have been mentioned in some health schemes, its implementation needs to be reviewed.”
In this regard, Dr. Radha opined, “Government schemes are not evolving to meet the needs of the times. The needs at the ground level are not picked up immediately as the process of evolving a scheme and its implementation is delayed.” Therefore, she advocates for a quick insight into the issues.
Appreciating former chief minister SM Krishna’s initiative, Raja says, “A State Task Force should be formed which should comprise experts who could find scientific means of understanding ageing issues and attempt to resolve them.” He said quality of life for the elderly people was better due to the deployment of this expert force as it solely worked for the betterment of senior citizens.
In addition to this, Dr. Radha proposed a Public-Private-Partnership model wherein the NGOs could fill in the gap of service delivery. While the state pens down schemes of benefit, the NGOs draw people towards availing the same. She said, “While the Maintenance Act has been functional right from 2007, most of the senior citizens are unaware of this right even now. It is gaining attraction only off late.”
Therefore, timely review of existing provisions and awareness about the same can help our senior citizens lead a rightful life and not a merciful one. With busy schedules and rush for high salary packages, let’s stop for a while to note the amount of time we spend with our elderly loved ones and if we could wash off our responsibilities by hiring a care-taker. Let’s work together towards making everyday a senior citizen day.
