Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Saluting the seniors

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Department of Social Welfare is organising year-long programmes to mark World Day of the Elderly, which falls on October 1.

In a press release here on Sunday, Minister for Social Welfare P.K. Sreemathy said the government had already launched the activities to make the newly declared Senior Citizens’ Policy a reality. The State-level council for senior citizens is being set up, which would be replicated at the district-level also.

The representatives of the district-level senior citizens’ councils will visit each region and look into the problems being faced by the elderly and take necessary remedial action.

Ms. Sreemathy said the government was also contemplating arranging free legal aid service for the elderly, as in many homes, the elderly were facing harassment, physical and mental torture in the name of property rights. The government will ensure through the Senior Citizens’ Policy that such issues were handled by the officials concerned sensitively and with due deference to the elderly.

She said the government would also take a stance favourable to the elderly in such cases. The government had set up 15 institutions to take care of the elderly. Also, the government was giving grant to 152 institutions for the care of the elderly.

Steps were being taken to set up elderly care homes in every block panchayat and to improve the standard of the existing ones.

The Union government decided to give pension to all members above 65 years in below poverty line (BPL) families and as soon as the order came into force, the State government would also take steps to disburse pension money.

The State Handicapped Persons Development Corporation would be the nodal agency for organising welfare programmes for the elderly.

On October 1, the Government will conduct free eye testing camps in all government-run elderly care homes. Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan will inaugurate the programme.

All inmates in care homes will be given spectacles. The medicine kit of Oushadhi will also be distributed to all elderly inmates. Medical camps for the elderly will also be conducted.

Ms. Sreemathy said that special facilities would be arranged in all public health care institutions so that all elderly above 65 years could meet the doctor without standing in the regular queue. Day care centres for senior citizens are also being planned.

The government will also open resource centres at panchayat-level to make use of the wide experience and knowledge of senior citizens who have retired from various government services but are healthy enough to continue working.

The Women’s Development Corporation has been asked to organise home nursing training courses with focus on elderly care. A nutrition care programme for senior citizens is also being planned.

In order to find resources for implementing various welfare programmes for the elderly, the government would seek sponsorship from other agencies.

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