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Mangalore: No Emotional Support for Elderly in City, say Senior Citizens

  •   Fri, Aug 12 2011 12:09:27 AM

Mangalore: No Emotional Support for Elderly in City, say Senior Citizens
 
Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (PS)
 
Mangalore, Aug 11: "The city has good roads, shopping hubs and other infrastructural facilities, but none of them are in favour of senior citizens. Though medical facilities at hospitals have improved, emotional support to the elderly in society is still missing."

This was the common concern voiced by the senior citizens at a panel discussion on the difficulties faced by elderly persons particularly in our city and district, at Vishwas Trust Office, Valencia here on Thursday August 11.

"Aging or growing old is a concern and not a problem. In this regard, the response of the people and the governments in the western countries towards elders has been far better, while here, except for some sympathy and some care, nothing much has been done," they said.

Olinda Pereira, director of the trust, Celine Aranha, trustee, Lidwin Lobo, co-ordinator of service, Felsi Pinto, secretary, Reshma Soans, in-charge of Day Care Centre, Jesinta Machado, social worker, Merilyne Margaret, admin assistant, Vasanth, helpline staff, Vidya Dinkar, anti-MSEZ activist, students of MSW course participated in the discussion.
 
Olinda Pereira said that it was time to focus on issues related to the elderly in the district, as Mangalore was no exception to cases of 'elderly abuse’. The senior citizen helpline number 1090 run by Vishwas in collaboration with the Mangalore Police at the premises of the Pandeshwar police station receives 40-60 calls a month on an average, she said, which proves the city's apathy towards its senior citizens.

She asserted that there was a need for the introduction of gerontology studies at the university level, as the study of social, psychological, and biological aspects of aging are not being given enough importance in the current education system.
 
On August 16, 2010 to address various issues of senior citizens, a National Protest Day was observed by all senior citizens organizations. This was a historic occasion wherein all organizations working for the elderly came under one umbrella to protest against the persisting apathy of the government, she said.
 
Celine Aranha said that increase in the number of elderly abuse cases was due to the fact that senior citizens were being treated as burdens rather than as blessings. Modern lifestyle and degradation of human life to an economic commodity have also contributed a lot towards the attitude of negligence, she noted and said that to have their value decrease with age spoke volumes of the sorry state of affairs.
 
Speaking on the success story of the senior citizen helpline number 1090, she said that when they started conducting awareness programmes in schools about the toll free helpline number, school children told their elders about it. There were many testing the facility by dialling the number, which was earlier not known to many, she added.
 
Vidya Dinkar said that the elderly were at the receiving end of the SEZ land acquisition process. Though the company claimed that SEZ had given away the best possible rehabilitation packages, it never turned out the best for the elderly who could not fight.
 
About Vishwas Trust, Olinda Pereira said that the trust began to function from 1999 with its commitment to serve the elderly of the city and the district. It has programmes which enabled the elderly to remain functional to the extent possible by arranging for easy access to health services, socialising, entertainment, fitness exercises, friendship evenings among others. On every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10 am to 11 am there are physical exercise sessions at the Trust's house.

  

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Comment on this article

  • Dr Anand Saldanha, Mangalore

    Tue, Aug 16 2011

    All of us will grow old some day with various forms & ranges of disabilities. How would we like to be treated? What are we taught in our upbringing? if schoolchildren are taught to respect elders/old people as a value system then the elderly neglect scenario may change towards the better. It is not only awareness programmes & gerentological centres that are enough. The old people should not feel the lonliness orlack of care.
    This can only be achieved by ongoing care in their own houses
    making every effort to add life to their years. Youth may be only gauging or calculating what they can get out of that relationship or
    differentiating who is important from who is not and only think of publicity, the misery of the elderly lot will increase. Hence this calls for a drastic change in
    the mindset of young people, to
    care & spend lots of time with the old people. Then only will they feel LOVED!

    DisAgree Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • Antony Pereira, Mangalore

    Sun, Aug 14 2011

    I have great respect for our elderly people because I have learnt this from my parents. Most of the youngsters are not aware that by seeking the blessings from our aged parents/elders our life span will increase!. For aged people road crossing or walking on the our city roads(without footpath) is highly risky. Whom to blame? our systems or Traffic police ? Our city vehicle population is increasing at a high rate so that within another one or two years to cover 2-5 KMS distance we may have to walk because of traffic jam !!!.?

    DisAgree Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • m. radhakrishna, bejai, mangalore

    Sat, Aug 13 2011

    MCC is spending chores of rupees for concreting the roads and not bothered to provide proper foot paths for people to walk. there is no cleanliness on footpaths or road margins. crowd y places like big bazaar/ksrtc to bejai church, amd towards lalbagh, hotel srinivas junction etc and also lalbagh to pvs circle have no proper footpaths and it is very dangerous to walk for elederly citizens.
    i suggest the respective corporators of every ward to take a walk one day in a week to check, identify the areas, problems of sr. citizens and make the streets safe and clean for walkers.

    also many places bus shelters are being removed on the lobby of commercial complexes and causing problems to bus commuters. buses in routes like 17,33,47, 15, 19 etc. are always over croweded and sr. citizens finding difficulty to board the buses. inspite of increasing passengers, addl. buses are not being added to meet the demand and public are suffering. the DC and RTO should check the overcrowding and provide addl. buses and addl. short routes.
    also they have to provide some buses with only sitting without no standing like semi luxury buses with slightly addl. cost like in bangalore with short distances like ring road buses. The bus owners are paying nominal road taxes for about 50 persons and loading more than 100 passengers and
    since population is increasing on highway (AJ medical college) more buses to be provided on the highway.
    request action by concerned MCC and district authorites.

    DisAgree Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • Dr. Cynthia Menezes Prabhu, Bangalore

    Sat, Aug 13 2011

    It is very heartening to see the efforts put in by the organisers. The networking done is commendable. Sometimes when problems like illness in the family makes it difficult to spare much time for our parents, such networking would provide the needed solace to the elderly.It is time to think of reaching out to each others' parents in a larger way, at least as a way of thanking them for all that they have contributed to society in their younger days.

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  • Lily Mendonca, udupi mumbai

    Sat, Aug 13 2011

    I really feel for this people they do so much for their children give them the best i once was told by one priest give a pinch to your children if you do this they will take of you in ur old age im sorry for this

    DisAgree Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • Varsha P., Moodabidri

    Sat, Aug 13 2011

    IT IS SAD SOME CHILDREN DO NOT CARE MUCH OF THE ELDERLY AND NEEDY PARENTS.

    IT IS VERY SAD THAT OUR GOVT. WHICH CAME TO POWER PROFESSING CULTURE, VALUES ETC. DO VERY LITTLE FOR THE AGED. THERE NOT EVEN FOOT PATHS ON THE ROAD TO WALK .



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  • pandurang nayak, mangalore/saudi arabia

    Fri, Aug 12 2011

    My suggestion is put a small amount of surcharge on all taxes and call it as senior citizen surcharge, just like what you put now as educational cess.This should be charged on all taxes and the sizeable amount so acrued should be used to create senior citizen fund.How to make best use of these funds should be thought of by intellectuals from all religions,caste and creed.A national average index should be calculated and senior citizen pension be distributed based on this index adjusted to the type of city one lives.This becomes financial part of pension-but emotional part totally depends on the children but i believe once the financial part is solved-emotions come in naturally...!

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  • Anthony Lobo, Bengaluru

    Fri, Aug 12 2011

    It is normal and natural for the new young generation to go in search for green patures. It will not be possible for them to take all the elders with them where ever they go. It should not mean that they are ignoring their elders. The alternate could be the community homes and the volunteers or the ones who prefer to stayback manage these homes. We cannot expect the old type of old generation looked after by the new which may not be practcal. But the new generation should give back to the community what they received. We should promote care take types.

    DisAgree Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • K.Raghava Mayya, Padil, Mangalore 7

    Fri, Aug 12 2011

    A man was feeding his aged and weak father outside the house always, and the plate used was old and broken. Once, as usual the food was poured to that plate and the aged was a bit late to come to the spot by which time a dog took away the plate with the food. The young grandson of the aged one, pointed out the loss of the broken plate. The boy was sad that on a future date that without this particular plate how cd this grandson feed his father, was his question. These things are what is going on in this land. This was a small story written by a big literateur.

    DisAgree Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • c j baptist, valencia/mumbai

    Fri, Aug 12 2011

    dear max our family has done it by donating our ancst.house to Viswas Trust I have personally ASSURED Further fin.support(not moral) we practice(not preach) no more a million dollar question

    DisAgree Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • JRAO,

    Fri, Aug 12 2011

    YES! BUT WE ARE TO BLAME FOR THAT MATTER BECAUSE WE SEE ONLY GOOD IN OUR YOUNGSTERS WHAT EVER THEY DO ON THEIR OWN SAYING THEY ARE VERY MUCH SOCIAL. WE HAVE FAILED DUE TO SOME REASONS IN MAKING THEM RESPONSIVE BY ONE WAY OR THE OTHER. THE SITUATION MAY WORSEN IN THE NEAR FUTURE UNLESS WE WOKE UP AND ARE ABLE TO ASSESS THE NEED OF THE HOUR.

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  • paddu, mangalore

    Fri, Aug 12 2011

    OLD is GOLD

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  • Roy Norohna, Kinnigoli

    Fri, Aug 12 2011

    Check the situvation of elders in Catholic community. Come to Kinnigoli or Belman you will know how they are suffering. Their kids have gone searching for greener pastures to gulf, canada, US etc completing forgetting the sacrifices made by the parents. Most of the children dont even visit them once in a year during Christman. Lilly Bai - one of the octagenrian has 5 children and none of them are bothered about her. If we ask them they say they have families and they send monthly money to takecare of her. Money is not parents want, they want love and support during their old age.

    Please open your eyes those who are staying abroad - dont forget your parents for the sake of making dollars or rials.

    Regards
    Roy

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  • kiran kumar, bantawal

    Fri, Aug 12 2011

    we all responsible for this.. being a responsible citizen of India. kudla is much influenced by western culture, tragedy is this thing happening in so called high class, highly educated families

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  • Max & Jessie Rasquinha, Mangalore, Houston/Dallas

    Thu, Aug 11 2011

    Focus on Senior Citizens is a priority because more and more elderly people need an assurance for their future life in this world.

    We have had several discussions in the past with Dr.Olinda Pereira who has abundance of knowledge and concern on this important issue that need be addressed in the context of a "big picture".

    Senior Citizens and their future needs be actively pursued either thru public sector or private sector investments because it involves not only capital but also expertize to manage the project for a long term success.

    The City officials, the Temple trusts, or even the Diocese or many other Convents or Seminaries should initiate these projects and manage them thru proper funding, proper financial management and supervision. The Senior Citizen facilities presently carried out by the Bethany nuns as well as the Ursuline nuns are truly note-worthy, and their first-hand knowledge may be of tremendous help. There are many many highly privileged Senior Citizens themselves can initiate a project such as this, in their own name, by donating their own God given wealth and support. Mangalore has also been gifted with dozens of building developers and Real Estate dealers who also can come forward and invest their resources in the Senior Citizen complex.

    All of us need a Senior Citizen home, sooner or later - sooner the better. Where to start this project and who to start is a million dollar question.

    DisAgree Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • caroline, kulshekar/kuwait

    Thu, Aug 11 2011

    I am surprised this is happening in India, we need to analyse this issue, the Indian culture is very strong for high respect for their elders, are we talking about exceptions then this has to be delt indvidually, but indians are far better in taking care of their elders, i think the western influence bring lot of draw backs and if this happening then we could add it one of the draw back's.

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