<p>COVID-19 pandemic and the national lockdown have an adverse impact on elderly population with a majority saying they faced abuse from their family members and the current situation has accentuated it, according to a survey.<br /><br />The survey claimed 69 per cent of around 5,000 elderly people who participated in the exercise claimed that their life has been affected adversely during the pandemic while 71 per cent felt elder abuse has increased during the lockdown period and after.<br /><br />The pandemic has created a "negative atmosphere" around older persons, who are "soft targets" of COVID-19, and even younger family members hesitate to come close to their own elderly family members, according to the survey conducted by 'Agewell Research and Advocacy Centre for Needs and Rights of Older Persons'.<br /><br />"Older persons are not only facing social restrictions but also family restrictions, imposed by their own respective families...They are not able to interact and share their worries with their friends or relatives. All this has made the life of older persons more critical and it is also affecting their health adversely," it said. The survey comes against the backdrop of June 15 being observed as World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.<br /><br />Dependence on family has made the elderly population "vulnerable" and women among them are the "worst affected" due to their poor financial status, increased level of dependency and longer lifespan than elderly men.<br /><br />According to the survey, 63.7 per cent elderly respondents felt they were facing neglect in their life while 58 per cent claimed that interpersonal relationships are the main factor responsible for the fast increasing incidence of elder abuse in families.<br /><br />It said 79 per cent respondents out of 2,804 respondents facing elder abuse reportedly felt that they faced mistreatment mostly due to financial reasons. Around 21 per cent elderly said that issues related to properties are the main reason behind violation of their rights.<br /><br />In statistics that set alarm bells ringing, 35.1 per cent claimed that elderly face domestic violence. One-fourth of the respondents said the younger generation consider them as a burden on their family.<br /><br />"Old people of my age find it very difficult to adjust themselves in the fast changing modern world. This causes a lot of worry in our lives and younger generations do not try to value their elderly members. They term elderly people as conservative and consider them as a burden on their life. Current COVID-19 situation has further worsened our life," the survey quoted Devender Gupta (80), who resides in Delhi's Mayur Vihar, as saying.<br /><br />Agewell Foundation Chairman Himanshu Rath said, "Today, most older people are going through a very bad phase in their life. In view of the COVID-19 threat, affected elderly need to be assured of all possible help and support. Their children and family members too need to be sensitised about needs and rights of their elderly family members. At the same time, elderly themselves need to be educated about facilities, support systems, legal provisions and non-formal support networks, accessible and available to them."</p>
<p>COVID-19 pandemic and the national lockdown have an adverse impact on elderly population with a majority saying they faced abuse from their family members and the current situation has accentuated it, according to a survey.<br /><br />The survey claimed 69 per cent of around 5,000 elderly people who participated in the exercise claimed that their life has been affected adversely during the pandemic while 71 per cent felt elder abuse has increased during the lockdown period and after.<br /><br />The pandemic has created a "negative atmosphere" around older persons, who are "soft targets" of COVID-19, and even younger family members hesitate to come close to their own elderly family members, according to the survey conducted by 'Agewell Research and Advocacy Centre for Needs and Rights of Older Persons'.<br /><br />"Older persons are not only facing social restrictions but also family restrictions, imposed by their own respective families...They are not able to interact and share their worries with their friends or relatives. All this has made the life of older persons more critical and it is also affecting their health adversely," it said. The survey comes against the backdrop of June 15 being observed as World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.<br /><br />Dependence on family has made the elderly population "vulnerable" and women among them are the "worst affected" due to their poor financial status, increased level of dependency and longer lifespan than elderly men.<br /><br />According to the survey, 63.7 per cent elderly respondents felt they were facing neglect in their life while 58 per cent claimed that interpersonal relationships are the main factor responsible for the fast increasing incidence of elder abuse in families.<br /><br />It said 79 per cent respondents out of 2,804 respondents facing elder abuse reportedly felt that they faced mistreatment mostly due to financial reasons. Around 21 per cent elderly said that issues related to properties are the main reason behind violation of their rights.<br /><br />In statistics that set alarm bells ringing, 35.1 per cent claimed that elderly face domestic violence. One-fourth of the respondents said the younger generation consider them as a burden on their family.<br /><br />"Old people of my age find it very difficult to adjust themselves in the fast changing modern world. This causes a lot of worry in our lives and younger generations do not try to value their elderly members. They term elderly people as conservative and consider them as a burden on their life. Current COVID-19 situation has further worsened our life," the survey quoted Devender Gupta (80), who resides in Delhi's Mayur Vihar, as saying.<br /><br />Agewell Foundation Chairman Himanshu Rath said, "Today, most older people are going through a very bad phase in their life. In view of the COVID-19 threat, affected elderly need to be assured of all possible help and support. Their children and family members too need to be sensitised about needs and rights of their elderly family members. At the same time, elderly themselves need to be educated about facilities, support systems, legal provisions and non-formal support networks, accessible and available to them."</p>
