Tuesday, October 2, 2012

1 October: International Day of Older Persons, Older people – a new power for development-Home Truth -Every third senior citizen ABUSED,mainly by Son.

http://www.who.int/ageing/events/alc_international_day_poste.jpg

Educaion without Values :

It is rightly said :

" vishavidaylaye (university) se yuvak bahut Kabil magar padhe-Likhe
 Jaahil bankar nikal rahe hai,quanki ham yuvao ko naitikata ka koe
 Aadhar nahi de pa rahe hai,Jisko Unhe Jayda se jayda Jarurat hai"

"University are turning out Highly skilled Barbarians because we
don't provide a framework of values to young people,who more
and more are searching for it"

---------------Steven Muller,President. Jon Hopkins University

There's an old saying:
"A son is a son till he takes a wife,
 A daughter's a daughter the rest of her life".......

A demographic revolution is underway throughout the world. 1st october, world-wide, there are around 600 million persons aged 60 years and over; this total will double by 2025 and will reach virtually two billion by 2050 - the vast majority of them in the developing world.

In our fast ageing world, older people will increasingly play a critical role - through volunteer work, transmitting experience and knowledge, helping their families with caring responsibilities and increasing their participation in the paid labour force.

It is not only in developing countries that older persons' role in development is critical. In Spain for example, caring for dependent and sick individuals (of all ages) is mostly done by older people (particularly older women); the average number of minutes per day spent in providing such care increases exponentially with the carers' age: 201 minutes if the carer is in the age group 65-74 and 318 minutes if aged 75-84 - compared to only 50 minutes if the carer is in the age group 30-49 (Durán H, Fundación BBVA, 2002).

Such contributions to development can only be ensured if older persons enjoy adequate levels of health, for which appropriate policies need to be in place. In line with the Madrid International Plan of Action, the World Health Organization launched in 2002 a document "Active Ageing - A Policy Framework", outlining its approaches and perspectives for healthy ageing throughout the life course. 

 Elder Abuse:

 Elder abuse is a problem that exists in both developing and developed countries yet is typically under reported globally. Prevalence rates or estimates exist only in selected developed countries - ranging from 1% to 10%. Although the extent of elder mistreatment is unknown, its social and moral significance is obvious.



 20-City Survey Reveals Exponential Increase In Mistreatment In Delhi

 New Delhi: Indian sons,and their wives,are not treating their aged parents well.A study on abuse of India's elderly,conducted across 20 cities and involving over 5,500 older people,has found that almost one in three (32%) have faced abuse.The son has been found to be the primary abuser in 56% of cases,followed by the daughter-in-law in 23% cases.

The study,to be presented to President Pranab Mukherjee on October 1,celebrated globally as the International Day of Older Persons,said that more than 50% of those abused had faced it for more than five years.More than half (55%) of those who were abused did not report it to anyone.Around 80% of them did not report the matter to uphold family honour.

Delhi actually witnessed an exponential increase in abuse of the elderly.In 2011,Delhis rate stood at 12%.In comparison,29.82% elderly people in Delhi said they faced abuse in 2012.

The study,conducted by Help Age India,found that abuse was highest in Madhya Pradesh (77.12%) while people in Rajasthan (1.67%) were most well behaved with the elderly in their family.Nearly 30% or 1 in 3 elderly persons reported abuse in Maharashtra while the abuse rate was just above 1 in 4 (27.56%) in Tamil Nadu.It was 60% in Assam,52% in UP,43% in Gujarat,42.86% in Andhra Pradesh and 40.93% in West Bengal.

The study also brought out some shameful figures for Delhi.While nearly 30% of the national capitals senior citizens had faced abuse,the primary perpetrator of abuse was the son in 60% cases,followed by the daughter-in-law in 24% cases.In Delhi,76% of those abused did not report it,while of those who felt abused,69% had felt disrespected with 35% facing it daily.

Around 86% of elderly felt that the most effective measure to control elder abuse was through sensitizing children and strengthening intergeneration bonding and 14% felt increased economic independence was the solution.

The study said that in India,the family has been the mainstay of social support.Even in this age and time,58% of older persons in India are living with the family.The findings of this report also affirm confidence in the ability of the family to care for its older members, the report said.

State policies will encourage children to co-reside with their parents by providing tax relief,allowing rebates for medical expenses and giving preference in the allotment of houses.The policy also says that short-term staying facilities for older persons will be supported so that families can get some relief when they go out, the study said.

The report made an interesting recommendation.In order to prevent elder abuse,it said there should be nationwide programmes in schools and colleges for sensitizing children and young adults towards the ageing and the aged,sensitization of healthcare workers to recognize and develop a protocol for treatment,develop a robust social security system that not only ensures income security to the older persons but also gives them opportunities for income generation.





source: WHO and TOI


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