INDIA: 'Urbanisation Not Too Good For Elderly'

PUNE, Maharashtra (The Times of India), October 26, 2007: Acute loneliness among the wealthy elderly in cities is driving some of them towards "emotional entrapment" wherein they are being duped or are willingly bequeathing valuable real estate to their domestic help, driver or other such seemingly helpful people. The national policy on older persons (1999) noted that the number of people in the 60+ age group crossed 57 million in 1991 and was projected at over 100 million by 2013. The policy noted that as a result of changing trends, older people "cannot take for granted that their children will be able to look after them when they need care in old age". In Pune, which is famed as a "pensioner's paradise" and has a three-lakh plus population of retired people, cases of "emotional entrapment" have come to light wherein valuable properties have been bequeathed to such handymen. "As urbanity rises, anonymity increases, thus complicating matters for the elderly," S.D. Gokhale, president of the Pune-based International Longevity Centre (ILC-India), said in an interview to the TOI. He said that the population of the ageing was rising in India with women outnumbering men in the 80+ bracket. "The percentage of widows, destitutes and dependent women in the 80+ bracket is very high," he said. "Such instances happen because children and other relatives don't have the time to take care of elderly people living alone. Some acquaintance willing to do all possible errands and is considered trust-worthy, becomes indispensable and wins the hearts and minds of everyone in the family," a counsellor working with a law firm told TOI. "In many cases, I have advised wealthy senior citizens to reward such people with a monthly salary or some lump-sum amount, but not bequeath entire properties worth lakhs and crores of rupees. The properties can be bequeathed to some worthwhile charity and thereby serve a larger purpose in society," the counsellor said. The counsellor, who declined to be identified, said cases of emotional entrapment were emerging due to rising loneliness of the elderly in Indian society. "Our changing society will have to deal with this, and I feel that family values need to be reinstated." Kumar Kivalkar, vice-president of the Pune-based Non-Resident Indian Parents' Organisation (NRI-PO) acknowledged that loneliness was a very serious concern among parents of young Indians settled abroad. "How do you celebrate Diwali or other festivals when your children and grandchildren are abroad? It is festival time for us whenever they come to India and visit us." The 1,000-family strong NRI-PO has various "solutions" to deal with loneliness and medical emergencies among their members through monthly meetings, group events, telephone clubs and other initiatives. Copyright © 2007 Times Internet Limited.