Feeling old and helpless
TWILIGHT YEARS
There are innumerable problems faced by senior citizens in the City. Metrolife finds out what they are
India boasts of a majority of young population. These youngsters are going to be the country’s senior citizens someday and new policies need to be implemented to support them.
Currently, the elders in the City face hurdles every step of the way with few concessions provided by the government. Bangalore also has a large number of old people with kids usually settled abroad; aging parents left alone to fend for themselves.
Metrolife asks the senior citizens of the City what problems they face and what is the best way to tackle them.
M R Rangaswamy, the Secretary General of Federation of Senior Citizens Forums of Karnataka, says, “One out of every seven elders all over the world is an Asian. In Beijing, they are improving the rural infrastructure and driving all the old people to the villages.”
He adds, “In a few decades, there will be more mouths to feed in India too as opposed to working hands.”
“There are policies that protect the rights of the elderly but how many people are aware of them,” he asks. “For instance, Karnataka is one of the few states to embrace ‘The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007’ according to which, children can be fined up to Rs 10,000 per month if a complaint is lodged by their parents that they are not being looked after. A tribunal is appointed to listen to the cases. In case if the children are not financially well-off, the government needs to accommodate the elderly in government-aided old age homes,” says Rangaswamy.
However, as far as basic amenities like transportation are concerned, the elders feel the City still has a long way to go.
C S Nagaraj, a 75-year-old retired LIC officer says, “I find it very hard to get on to the bus as the steps are at a considerable height. The buses are also very crowded and even though there are separate seats for women, there aren’t any for the elderly. The government could have special buses only for the old or if not that, at least have seats reserved for the elderly. Also in buses, you need to be over 65 years of age to avail a 25 per cent concession and they have two passes, one for KSRTC and the other for BMTC buses. One pass for both would make more sense as you need to run around twice to get them.”
Paying bills is a responsibility that many in the age bracket of 60 to 70 consider a pain. Shyla N, a 65-year-old housewife says, “They first need to have separate counters everywhere for the elderly. How can they expect us to stand in long queues at this age?”
Bangalore also houses a large number of elderly who have kids abroad. Most of these old people end up spending six months in India and the other six months abroad. Security is a cause of concern for most of them. T K Jagannathan, one such IT parent says, “Apartments are a safer option as security is a big issue.
As far as other problems such as loneliness are concerned, it is all about making a conscious choice to be happy and staying occupied. I teach pranayama and conduct workshops. I also do a lot of translation work and write for a monthly magazine. Both my kids are abroad and I visit them often. To me, the question of boredom never arises as I am immersed in work. My advice to people my age is to keep themselves occupied and they will have no problems.”
