Going grey with dignity

By Rama Sharma

BY declaring the year 1999 as International Year for Older Persons, the United Nations has focused the attention of world planners towards the increasing population of the aged. In another 10 to 15 years, there would be an unprecedented rise in the number of senior citizens. India would lead with maximum number of senior citizens over 80 years. The average life span in India, due to better health facilities and a rise in the general standard of living, has increased from 30 years in 1950 to 65 years in 1990. As such, there is an urgent need to draw out a national agenda for this segment of society, which has so far been considered redundant.

Dr D.J. Dasgupta, former Principal of Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla, and the President of the Himachal chapter of Age-Care India, lays emphasis on making geriatric medicine mandatory in the curriculum of all medical colleges. Special geriatric OPDs and wards should be set up in government and private sector-run health institutions. The health care system must be geared up to meet the pressure. According to the National Sample Survey Organisation, 45 per cent of the elderly in India suffer from some kind of chronic diseases and over 5 per cent are physically immobile. He suggests the running of mobile dispensaries for those who are 70 years and above, so that minimum health-care facilities are made available at their doorstep. Setting up of adult day-care centres, home nursing care and residential care services by voluntary organisation should supplement health care. Specialised medical treatment is very expensive in developing countries, so the government should introduce medical insurance for older people to meet their demands for medicare.

According to S.N. Verma, a senior bureaucrat, the retirement age must be raised to 65 years, with a provision to seek voluntary retirement at 60, so that full use of the long and vast experience of a government servant can be made. The government should retain the heads of departments as honorary advisers for a few years after their retirement and enlist their help in setting up projects for seniors with the help of NGOs.

A veteran legislator and politician, Jai Bihari Lal Khachi, is of the view that due to urbanisation and socio-economic compulsions, India’s social fabric faces pressure and the traditional Indian joint family system has become its first casualty. The emotional needs of the elders which were otherwise taken care of by the joint family system, should be looked after by genuine NGOs and voluntary organisations with the assistance of senior citizens’ bodies. The government should step in to provide need-based infrastructure only. The rest the NGOs should manage with the help of senior citizens.

Referring to the Himachal Pradesh Maintenance of Parents and Dependents Bill, 1996, Khachi says that Himachal has shown the way to the rest of country by enacting a law, wherein aged parents and grandparents who have been betrayed by their children and are unable to maintain themselves would directly benefit from this law. A maintenance order made under this Act has the same force and effect as an order passed under Chapter IX of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973. Also the maintenance payable to any person should not be assignable, transferable, liable to the attached, sequestered or levied upon for or in respect of any debt or claim whatsoever. The new law arms old parents to withdraw their will, transferring their property to their children, if children do not take care of them after becoming owners of the property. Government has provided the law, now it is for the NGOs to educate the masses and help the elderly in making full use of it, he says.

Indira Goswami, an eminent educationist, has been active in the field of teaching for the last 42 years. She rues the general deterioration of traditional Indian values, over a period of time. She says that the Indian tradition of looking up to and looking after the elders has to be nurtured. As far as possible the Indian system of grandparents living with their family should be encouraged. This helps the child to grow in a balanced manner. Parents must set an example by showing genuine respect and regard for their aged parents and give due consideration for their emotional and social needs. The children would automatically learn to love and respect the elders.

She says that it is the shared responsibility of the parents and the teachers to educate the younger generation on how to treat the senior citizens with consideration. When, out of economic campulsions, both the parents have to work away from home, they bring in their parents to look after their homes and children. The youngsters feel since they are providing shelter and food to them, the older generation must sacrifice their personal freedom, hobbies and interests by devoting all their time to house and children, thereby reducing the older parents to the category of care-takers. This is the beginning of a child learning not to respect his elders.

In schools, projects can be worked out where senior students and senior citizens are required to communicate frequently. This could help in bridging the generation gap. Teachers in the schools must undertake campaigns to encourage small children to celebrate ‘grandparents days’, by making small hand-made presents and writing letters to them. Special days to remember and honour grandparents should be celebrated. Parents must also provide occasions in the house where children discuss and do things together with their grandparents. Nature-walks, helping in bank work or any other activity where they discuss and learn from each other can be planned. Educating the grandparents in modern lifestyle should be done in a polite and respectful manner by the parents and the children. Patience and persuasion should be the keywords and not dominance. This could provide an excellent opportunity to build up a healthy and happy relationship.

After talking to various groups, the general thinking that emerges is that in order to make senior citizens feel useful and productive members of society, NGOs and voluntary organisations have to come together in a big way. They should provide the requisite support system, where the government can contribute by way of old-age pension; social security and medicare and the need-based infrastructure wherever necessary.

Planning is required for encouraging a wide network of genuine NGOs that can deliver the goods. The government could keep a watchful eye but avoid unnecessary interference. The NGOs should encourage enrolment of capable, experienced and healthy senior citizens to perform various duties.

To lead a productive life, older people have to plan well for their post-retirement period. Computer technology can prolong the span of their work life without putting pressures on them physically. Second careers could also be planned and chartered out in this manner.

During visits to the USA and Canada, one comes across various seniors resources societies (SRS). These societies offer programmes on counselling, home support, residential care and personal and home security services. Besides, they also run community centres, libraries and sports clubs. These societies also offer a list of support groups for caregivers, home nursing, home shopping and emergency help. They run community services which include meals on wheels, friendly visitors, volunteer drivers and regular seniors information bureaus. Special events and seniors’ week are planned and celebrated with zeal.

If such societies could be developed in India, a large and experienced army of senior citizens can effectively be deployed for achieving national targets in literacy, cleanliness, sanitation drives and pollution control. Bombay-based Dignity Foundation is an NGO working for senior citizens.

All its members are senior citizens and the foundation has opened sector-wise chapters in Bombay, Bangalore, Chennai and Calcutta. Recently, a team of 40 Dignitarians in Mumbai adopted Narimab Bhatkar Road in G-South in Mumbai. They became one of the 11 prize-winners and put up a model street on the map of the city under the banner "Cleaning, Mumbai with Dignity".

The criteria of proficiency were to keep the road free from litter, papers and plastic packages, water puddles, building debris, wrongly occupied pavements, urination and defecation spots, drainage overflow and so on. The road was to be beautified, trees and plants to be trimmed, painted and numbered if possible. The most difficult task was to motivate the people of the locality as some citizens took a long time to be initiated in abstaining from untidy practices. The cleaning work started in right earnest with a hand-shake with Bombay Municipal Corporation workers, who recommended them and the Dignitarians earned the prize of Rs 10,000 at a function presided over by the Mayor of Mumbai.

The Dignity Foundation is also responsible for bringing out the first ever monthly magazine Dignity Dialogue, being published by the seniors for the seniors where useful tips for a productive lifestyle and access to latest news and views is given. Media too can play a positive role in educating society to meet social, intellectual and emotional needs of the seniors besides giving adequate exposure to various welfare schemes and other facilities and programmes being offered by various organisations.