Dehradun, March 2
There was time when the responsibility of running the house and feeding family members rested on his shoulders. But not anymore. Old and shrivelled Janak at the ripe age of 86 has taken a back seat. His movements have become shaky, eliciting laughter among children of his distant family members in Doon, where he now lives.

Forsaken by his loved ones and luck, the physical changes have not diminished his enthusiasm for things happening around him.

His eyes light up while recognising the voice of a news broadcaster on his transistor.These are the only people he happens to know and who keep him posted on the happenings around him even as his own living in close proximity continue to be distant and aloof.

The aged in Uttarakhand increasingly find themselves in a similar predicament. Crumbling family structures and uncaring relatives have made them unwanted in their own homes, the situation made worse by the near absence of geriatric care centres in the state.

It is a bleak scenario for women, who labour throughout productive years of their lives but once old, have no one to turn to.

“As per the data available with the State Social Welfare Department, the population of the aged in the state is between 8-10 lakh and growing.The government provides old-age pension and medical care to BPL card-holders whose population is over 1,90,000,” said Manisha Pawar, secretary, Social Welfare.

After the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act -- 2007 came into being, the states were directed to establish and maintain such number of old-age homes at accessible places as it may deem necessary in a phased manner, beginning with at least one in each district to accommodate in such homes a minimum of 150 senior citizens.

However, the state government managed to establish only two age-old homes in Bageshwar and Chamoli.

“These homes have a capacity for 50 persons; the government provides board and lodging facilities and medical care to the inmates,” said RP Pant, additional director, Social Welfare Department.

Breaking of family ties, hitherto unknown in Uttarakhand, has brought about a sea change in the lives of the old who are now viewed a mere burden. Unable to keep pace with changes taking place in the villages, the interventions by the government seem inadequate for the needs of an aging population.

“No one checks the quality of food being served or the living conditions at the centres. Besides, the government doesn’t seem to be in tune with the needs of the aged. There are differences in the problems of the aged residing in villages and those in towns. It would not be an exaggeration to say that our villages are mostly inhabited by the old, the infirm and womenfolk.

Most have been left behind with the young and able moving out to towns and cities in search of work. In certain cases it may be by choice as the old may not want to leave their home and be subject to cultural shock,” said Hemlata, a social activist, who carried a study on the aged population in Uttarkhand called ‘Sandhyadeep’.

In case of cities, the situation is one of neglect and apathy. Children do not have time for their parents. The older persons have to contend with unavailable relatives. To top it all, there are no safety nets or retirement houses with medical care in the state. The government is failing it’s aged population,” said Hemlata.

The condition of the women in hills is much worse. As per the findings of a study undertaken by Dr Aabha Chaudhary, chairperson, ANUGRAHA: “As 48 per cent of old women are widows, their dependency on family members/sons for economic survival is complete. 

Even if the husband is alive, he is generally unconcerned towards the health needs of his old wife. Nearly half (49.9 per cent ) do not receive monetary help from migrated son(s) and only 10.7 per cent are visited by their son(s).”

The government spending on age-old schemes is a pithy. Besides pension schemes, the state government has not launched any scheme for the old who may not be economically weak but need monetary care to help them pay their medical bills.

“ A total of 1.5 lakh persons who are BPL card-holders receive the monthly old-age pension. Other then that, there are no initiatives taken by the state government,” informed UD Chaube, social welfare officer, Department of Social Welfare, Uttarakhand.

That the problem of the elderly may one day take a serious turn in the state has been brought out in another study carried out by Lokpriya Sharma of the International Institution of Population Sciences,Mumbai, who has done an extensive study on the problems of the aged in Uttarakhand.

“The situation is alarming in Uttarakhand in the case of ageing population which can have serious policy implications for the state in days to come. The population aged 60 years and above to the population aged 14 and below, defined as "ageing index", has increased substantially from 18.52 in 1991 to 21.20 in 2001, the study pointed out.

The health problems that the aged face are reduced physical immobility to more serious ones like the Alzheimer’s disease and other life-debilitating diseases. Experts in the healthcare sector advocate a special policy framework to provide better health facilities to the aged population in this hill state.

“The old notion of according respect to the aged stands shaken today. It cannot be counted as an insurance against old age, but affordable and free health facilities in some cases can be built in the state. Besides, looking after the aged is a specialised field. There is very little awareness about training in this sector in our country,” said Dr Aabha.