The Hindu : A life-line for the aged

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Mar 21, 2004

National

National

A life-line for the aged

By Sudha Menon

PUNE, MARCH 20. The Pune police and the Community Aid and Sponsorship Programme (CASP), a voluntary organisation, recently launched a help-line service for the city's large community of senior citizens.

The residents hope that this initiative can prove to be the life-line for the aged who have recently been the target of an increasing number of criminal assaults, some of them fatal. Over 400 registered calls have been received since the launch of the service and the help-line number has been more than busy, says counsellor, Aarti Pendse.

``In addition, we now host a large number of senior citizens who drop in at the centre to discuss issues that they are convinced won't be solved with just a telephone,'' adds Radha Raj, Deputy Director, The Longevity Centre (TLC), CASP.

A combination of factors such as a huge number of youngsters working in IT companies overseas or studying abroad, has resulted in an estimated 34,000 senior citizens in the city living alone. Counsellors at the help-line point out that topping the list of problems often cited by senior citizens is their inability to cut through the red-tape at public utility organisations such as the BSNL or the Maharashtra State Electricity Board (MSEB) or the Municipal Corporation.

``Telephone lines disconnected for no reason, unreasonably high electricity bills are common complaints and the seniors can't come to terms with the fact that they are ignored or treated badly when they go to these places with their case,'' says Ms. Pendse.

The help-line has now tied up with 18 organisations which have dedicated an officer to deal with complaints registered by the help-line. At least 18 such incidents have occurred over the last couple of months and are still pending at various police stations, prompting the Police Commissioner's office to help start the help-line. ``Individual crimes like these are difficult to predict and pre-empt but we have now formed senior citizen committees at the city's 85 police chowkies, and are advising the vulnerable segments, '' Ms. Raj says.

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