INDIA: Alarm as Elderly are Increasingly Soft Target for Crimes

KOLKATA (The Telegraph), May 10, 2006: The recent attack on the octogenarian Bela Dutta Gupta reveals how vulnerable senior citizens have become in Calcutta. The elderly population is becoming a soft target in the hands of burglars, dacoits and domestic help. Therefore, providing safety and security to the elderly is one of the biggest challenges of Indian metropolises. The abuse of old people can take many forms — physical, psychological, emotional or financial. The problem is closely related to the demographic and socio-economic changes. Joint families are being replaced by nuclear and single-unit households. Stiff competition at work place has placed a higher value on youth, rendering the elderly invisible in the work force. The Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing had listed some objectives for the care of the elderly. Ensuring greater cooperation between the government, civil society, and NGOs, developing community initiatives, increasing public awareness and establishing rehabilitative services were some of the ways that were suggested to stop the abuse of elderly people. Security blanket Similarly, under the national policy for older persons, formulated by the government of India, the elderly have greater access to information on prevention of accidents. Steps have also been taken to enhance telephone and insurance services and a speedy disposal of complaints of older persons related to cheating. A fast track tribunal will be set up in every district of the country to handle cases of ill-treatment, and these cases will be disposed of within six months. In countries like Singapore, police officers are engaged in making the lives of elderly citizens safe. Under the Koban system in Japan, police officers regularly telephone older citizens who live alone to check on their well-being. In some of the police departments in the United States of America, law enforcement gerontologists develop a rapport with the elderly, identify their problems and then recommend ways to minimize risk. The national policy for older persons had focused on the role of the police to control crimes against the elderly as well. It pointed out that the police would be directed to keep a vigil on old people and promote mechanism of interaction with neighbourhood associations. The policy further mentions that the schools will be encouraged to develop outreach programmes for interacting with the elderly on a regular basis, participate in the running of senior citizens associations and develop activities in them. With some help In Delhi, school children have been involved in giving emotional support to old people living in their neighbourhood. In Kerala and in Chennai, the police have been asked to locate and prepare a register of senior citizens who have no one to depend on. The police in Delhi and in Calcutta have also launched the servant verification scheme. A number of NGOs are trying to bring respite to old people in distress. For instance, AgeWell Foundation has set up a helpline for the elderly in Delhi. Volunteers of the Dignity Foundation address distress calls from old people seeking assistance while the Nightingale medical trust in Bangalore runs a twenty-four hour toll-free helpline that counsels elders. HelpAge India has started a helpline in Chennai while the Calcutta police have also started a senior citizen helpline. It is necessary to promote a better understanding of ageing and its related problems to help the elderly. This can only be done by facilitating an understanding between the young and the old. Bestowing love and affection on the elderly will surely help us cheer up a group of people who are in the dusk of their lives. "Bring Cheer To The Aged" By Tumpa Mukherjee Copyright © 2006 The Telegraph. All rights reserved