Kerala - Kannur   

Forum against abuse of the elderly

Staff Reporter

KANNUR: The Kerala Senior Citizens' Forum will launch a campaign to make the public and the Government aware of the abuse of elderly people.

The forum's president, M.C.V. Bhattathiripad, said the State-level campaign was being planned with the aim of objectively understanding the nature of such abuses, creating public awareness and offering legal and social protection to senior citizens against the practice.

In a statement here on Saturday, he said the forum would be willing to hear from the public and the victims of such abuses.

They could send their experiences in writing to the forum, he said adding that confidentiality of the letters would be preserved.

Mr. Bhattathiripad said abuse of elderly people included acts done with the intention of causing physical pain or injury, those with the intention of causing emotional pain or injury, including anguish, pain or distress through non-verbal and verbal acts, financial and material exploitation involving the misappropriation of money or property, abandonment, and neglect such as failure to provide basic needs.

He said that abuse of the elderly was taking place in various environments including their homes, hospitals, assisted-living arrangements, and old-age and nursing homes.

A great part of the abuses were taking place in the family itself which was usually unknown to the outside world, he said. Elderly women were more exposed to such abuses, he said.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Kerala

News: Front Page | National | Tamil Nadu | Andhra Pradesh | Karnataka | Kerala | New Delhi | Other States | International | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous | Engagements |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary | Updates: Breaking News |

Stories in this Section

Forum against abuse of the elderly
`Collective effort behind airport approval'

Copyright © 2005, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu