Senior citizens get maintenance rights in state

To ensure the dignity of elderly people, the UP government has adopted the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007, which gives legal rights to senior citizens for seeking maintenance from their kin.

"The government has adopted the Act under which parents and senior citizens have been given the legal right of maintenance", said SP spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary. As per the provisions of the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007, children of a senior citizen have the obligation to maintain them so that they could lead normal life. For childless elderly persons, the onus of their maintenance will lie on the relative who is in possession of their property or who would inherit the same. The maximum monthly allowance will be specified by the state government, Chaudhary said.

Under the Act, a provision of constituting a maintenance authority under the chairmanship of sub-divisional magistrate has been made, he said. Under the Act, parents and senior citizens would have the right to get maintenance of maximum Rs 10,000 per month and district welfare officer would be nominated as the maintenance officer.

The SP spokesperson said that along with the setting up of old age homes, medical services would be provided to senior citizens in the hospitals on priority. He said the government has launched Rani Laxmibai pension scheme in which people living below poverty line would get a monthly pension of Rs 400 payable in two half-yearly installments.

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Healthy Hobbies for old age people

Old age is a period of life that brings complete change in your life and life-style. The life changes entirely from a tough routine of job to a total free life. Now, there is more time to spend in leisure. At such stage many old age people get worried about how they consume their time. They just wander here and there with nothing to do. Such situations may cause depression and tension among old people that further results to many other diseases. Here is a brief review of various hobbies that can be used to pass leisure time in a good way.

These hobbies help to make these years as Golden Period of life. It is better to do something even in older days of your time because leisure time makes you ill, over weight and lazy. These are the root causes of many other diseases. So, you can select any part time job according to your convenience.

If you have joined a part time teaching job or delivering lectures per hour, you may do so if you are eligible.

Moreover, if you are physically fit and healthy, you can also serve as a caregiver.

You may also take some tuition at home. This will be more convenient option without going anywhere.

Furthermore, in the company of young students, you would feel young which would have a positive impact on you. It is very pleasurable to spend leisure time in some creative and constructive activity like remodeling a home.

If you have enough money to do this, you may go to the library and search different ideas in magazines. These ideas may be useful renovations in your garden or bedroom. Select sober textures and colors for your room because these will affect your mood and personality positively and will provide you to spend a day in a better way.

Another very important hobby of old age people is to play with small kids. This not only makes them happy but also gives them a lively feeling.

You may ask them to show their toys or you may ask what they want to do. You may also draw beautiful paintings with colors and crayons with them. This will give pleasure not only to little ones but colors may also add beauty for you as well.

Try different games with them and tell new and old stories with moral lesson to grow them positively. You can also share your good memories and experiences with them.

Another good way to consume time efficiently is to join some organization as a volunteer. You may work for their cause and support the institution with the help of your own experience. This will also give you a sense of satisfaction that you are serving people even in old age. Moreover, you will get a good chance to meet new people as well as you may learn many new skills that you have not tried before.

All this really helps you to spend your leisure time in a good and productive way. Another way to utilize your time efficiently is to worship God. You may also search and read useful material on religious topics that also coincide your taste.

Golf is the most common and widely accepted sports for old age people. The reason behind this is that it requires less physical activity. In old age many people get tired very easily with little work done. So, they usually prefer those sports that do not have so much muscular and physical activity. But you should remember here that if someone is physically fit and remain a good sportsman in his young and middle age, he might serve as a learned and skilled coach in any institution.

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“Celebrating Age”! India Expo 2012 (Active Ageing Retirement Expo series)

On 20th  & 21st  October 2012  at India Islamic Culture Centre -IICC
Lodhi Road next to Chinmaya Mission Delhi .

Time: 11.00am-7.00pm.  Entry Free

Encouraged by the success at Bangalore, Pune, Mumbai, Ahemedabad, Goa, Chennai and Hyderabad Celebrating Age India Expo 2012 is now set to launch at Delhi.

Vision India and International Longevity Centre India ILC-I India’s premier Institute in ageing in association with Times Ascent is launching “Celebrating Age”!India Expo 2012 in Delhi. This ultimate retirement lifestyle showcase would be held on on 20th & 21st October 2012 at India Islamic Culture Centre -IICC Lodhi Road next to Chinmaya Mission Delhi.Near India Habitat Centre. 

  

 “Celebrating Age”! India, the ultimate retirement lifestyles showcase, an Active Ageing Retirement series would be very significant in taking forward the agenda.

This event would be an eye opener for those in the age group of 50 plus. Housing, income security, health, wellness and many other issues will be brought centre stage at the two day Expo.

Statistics published by Helpage India and United Nations Population fund on International World Elders Day suggests that India had 90 million senior citizens in 2011 and is expected to swell up to 173 million in 2026.Given the above back ground Vision India a Market analytics firm in association with Patrons International Longevity Centre India in association with Times Ascent has launched the Active Ageing Expo series titled Celebrating age India Expo 2012 across eight cities in India. The objective is creating awareness about retirement as an important and significant phase of our life.

"Celebrating Age”! India Expo 2012, the ultimate retirement lifestyles showcase is Produced by Vision India a niche consulting and market analytic firm to propagate products & services to those aged 50 plus and    supported by International Federation of Ageing and International Longevity Centre India-  ILC-I India’s premier Institute in ageing as Patrons.

Countdown begins for India’s biggest ever active-ageing carnival - an action packed event designed to showcase activities that the elderly can participate to enrich their retirement lives. An active ageing Retirement Expo series

This event seeks to bring to the fore, the core areas of concern and of importance for senior citizens and provide them with the opportunities to lead a healthy and qualitative life of dignity in the golden eventide of their lives.

This Mega event is a pioneering initiative on qualitative ageing and productive human talent. Experience with exuberance trends and tipping points that are accelerating change in consumer attitudes of those aged 55 plus. This market segment has only touched the tip of the iceberg in terms of the growth potential.

  

Confirmed Participants:

  

Patrons: International Longevity Centre India ILC-I India’s premier Institute in ageing.

Anchor Sponsor : Paranjape Schemes (Construction) Ltd ( Athashri). 

Presented by: MetLife India Insurance Company Limited. 

Associate Sponsor: State Bank Of India (Reverse Mortgage)

Bronze Sponsor: TheGoldenEstate.com/UCC Care Pvt. Ltd. 

Supported by: International Federation Of Ageing, 

On line Media Partner:Silver Innings Foundation- Mumbai, 

Participating Banks: State Bank of India, Union Bank of India

Insurance: MetLife India Insurance Company Limited, Max Life Insurance Company Limited,  Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Company Ltd., Star Union Dai-ichi Life Insurance Co. Ltd. 

Housing and Senior Living: Paranjape Schemes (Construction) Ltd (Athashri), TheGoldenEstate.com/UCC Care Pvt. Ltd, Saket Engineers (PRANAAM), GoldAGE Hospital Pvt. Ltd, Infra Housing Pvt. Ltd.,  

Supported by: SVYASA University, Callidai Motor Works, Silver Inning Foundation, Vasan Eye Care

Celebrating Age”! India Expo 2012An active ageing Retirement Expo series 20th  & 21st  October - Exhibition at The India Islamic Culture Centre Lodhi Road New Dehli Time11.00 am-07.00pm on both days entry is Free. FREE EYE CHECK UP BY VASAN EYE CARE 11.30am-5.00pm on both days
11.00 am	Programme Saturday Oct 20th   2012
	Inaugural Session Swagatam Dance by Students of Kalakendra Delhi Brief Introductions by: Presenting Sponsor: MetLife India Insurance Company Ltd. Associate Sponsor: State Bank Of India (Reverse Mortgage) Bronze Sponsor: TheGoldenEstate.com/UCC Care Pvt. Ltd.,
	Healthy & Qualitative Ageing
12.30pm -1.10 pm	Ms. Mala Kapur Shankardass, Associate Professor Sociologist, Gerontologist, Health & Development Social Scientist
	Prof. Vinod Kumar,Emeritus Professor, Dept of Medicine, St Stephens Hospital ,Delhi
1.15pm-1.45pm	‘Group Dance by students of Kalakendra Dwarka
2.00pm-2.45pm	‘Reiki’ by Hariharan Iyer , Reiki Grandmaster
2.45pm-3.30pm	Awareness talk and Demo on Physical Fitness and Wellness
3.15 pm- 3.45pm	Satsang by Sri Sri Art of Living
3.45 pm-4.15pm	Laughter yoga by Dr.Santosh Sahi
4.15pm-4.45pm	Scientific Yoga by SVYASA University
4.45pm -5,15pm	Instrumental concert  by students of Kalakendra
5.15pm-5.45pm	Rajyoga Meditation by Brahma kumaris
5.45pm-6.30pm	Laughter Therapy by Neelam Wadhera -General Sec. Delhi Laughter Club
	Programme Sunday Oct 21st   2012
11.00am-11.45am	‘Reiki’ by Hariharan Iyer , Rekie Grandmaster
11.45am-12.15pm	Scientific Yoga by SVYASA University
12.15-12.45pm	Awareness talk and Demo on Physical Fitness and Wellness
12.45pm-1.30pm	Laughter yoga by Dr.Santosh Sahi
1.30pm-2.00pm	Tabla Vadyan by Students of Kalakendra Dwarka
2.00pm-2.30pm	Company presentations
2.30pm-3.00pm	Group Kathak dance by Kalakendra Dwarka
3,00pm -3.30pm	Satsang by Sri Sri Art of Living Delhi
3.30pm -5.00pm	Group song by Students of Kalakendra Dwarka
5.00pm-5.30pm	Talk on How to Age Gracefully by Bramhakumaris
5.30pm -6.30pm	Past Life Regression by Aryan Yoga

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Do take it to heart

State spending on health can’t keep pace with cardiac diseases. Making the right lifestyle choices is the best preventive and a cost-effective solution

Non-infectious diseases such as heart disease and cancers kill more people in India than all other causes of death put together, with heart disease taking the lead with 2.5 million deaths annually. It shows no bias and is the leading cause of death across age, gender, incomes, regions, and urban and rural India. No matter how old you are, how rich you are or where you live, heart disease — which causes heart attacks and strokes — is more likely to kill you than any other disease.

There are subtle variations, though. It is more likely to kill men than women: 20.3% of all male deaths are caused by heart disease and stroke as compared to 16.9% deaths in women, shows data from the Registrar General of India’s study of One Million Deaths in India, which uses country-wide Sample Registration System and verbal autopsy — asking the family about the sickness, symptoms and treatment, especially if the death took place at home — to identify the cause of death. Then there are regional variations, with deaths being the highest in the more affluent states of Goa, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Punjab, compared to Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan.

The projected cumulative loss of national income due to loss in productivity because of early death from noncommunicable diseases for 2006-2015 is $237 billion. By 2030, this productivity loss is projected to double. This is far greater than the corresponding loss in the US, which has a population a fourth the size of India’s. Add to this India’s expenditure on healthcare — around 4.1% of its GDP, only 26% of which was government funding — and you have millions of people pushed to poverty just to pay healthcare bills.

The sliver of hope in this litany of bad news is that over 90% of heart disease depends on how we live our lives, our stresses, what we eat and how active we are. Of course, genes have some role to play, but nine in 10 heart attacks can be prevented by controlling blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes; eating high fibre-low fat food; staying fit; not smoking; and managing psychosocial factors such as stress. Early detection and treatment of hypertension (chronic high blood pressure), for example, reduces death from heart attacks by 35-60%.

And it’s never too late to start. Even adopting four healthy

Don’t miss a beat behaviors — eating at least five fruits and vegetables daily, exercising for at least 2.5 hours a week, maintaining a healthy weight, and not smoking — after 45 years reduces the risk of heart disease by over one-third, reports a study in The American Journal of Medicine. The study found that these changes lowered heart attack risk by 35% and death from heart attacks by 40% in people between 45 and 64 years. The benefits were there even for those who lived a decadent life till they decided to turn over a new leaf and tread the path to health.

The heart-protective benefits begin the moment you make healthy choices. The nutritional plan for a healthy heart is eating less of saturated fats like butter and more of oils such as olive and mustard oils, eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day; six or more servings of whole grains such as wheat and brown rice; low-fat milk products; legumes and beans; and fish and lean meats.

But making diet changes alone are not enough to keep the heart healthy and people need to have high activity levels, keep weight in check and not smoke. Smoking is the biggest cause of heart attack in young people with no other risk factors because it increases the risk of clot formation in the blood, which can block arteries and cause a heart attack even in healthy people. A review of heart disease incidence in 21 countries reported in the journal Tobacco Control showed that smokers had a five times greater risk of heart attack than non-smokers.

Obesity also perpetuates a chain of risk factors such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, each of which individually boosts the risk of heart disease. Keeping the body mass index (BMI) between 22 and 23 — a little lower than the internationally recommended cut off of 25 — lowers a person’s heart risk substantially. BMI is calculated by dividing a person’s weight in kilograms by the height in meters squared.

The reason why Indians need to keep their weight lower than Caucasians is our warped fat distribution. A Canadian study of four ethnic groups — South Asians, Chinese, aboriginal populations and Caucasians — showed that for the same level of body mass (weight), South Asians had more body fat. All South Asians also accumulate fat around their abdomen, which is the worst possible place to put on weight. A waist size larger than 38 for men and 35 for women may be a sign of the metabolic syndrome, which is characterized by a group of risk factors such as diabetes, high blood pressure, elevated trigycerides, low good cholesterol (HDL) and high bad cholesterol (LDL), and a pro-inflammatory state (elevated levels of C-reactive protein in the blood), showed study on ‘Waist circumference cutoff points and action levels for Asian Indians’ in the International Journal of Obesity.

With diseases outpacing government spending on health by giant leaps, prevention is the only practical way to save the country from an avalanche of medical bills.

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Ensure a life of dignity for the aged: Pranab

President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday called for measures to enable the elderly to lead a life of “dignity.”

Speaking at a function organised by HelpAge India to mark the International Day of Older Persons, Mr. Mukherjee expressed concern over the growing neglect and abuse of seniors in the country.

Mr. Mukherjee said: “I have to confess my deep alarm and dismay in this context over the findings of the 20 city survey conducted by HelpAge which reveals that one out of three elders have faced abuse. It is even more shocking to learn that those surveyed describe their sons and daughters-in-law as the primary abusers. Many report such abuse as having continued for more than five years and most do not complain to anyone in order to uphold family honour.”

The President pointed to the withering away of family values and expressed hope that the shocking revelations about elderly abuse would serve as a warning.

“We must do everything possible to ensure that our elders can live a life of dignity, enjoying the best of medical attention, economic security as well as emotional stability. Our culture, history, traditions, religion and philosophy all enjoin us to respect our elders and to fill their lives with abundant love and affection.”

To the nation, with a very large young population, the President’s message included a reminder, “…India is what it is today because of the contributions made by our elders in their youth. If those hands steadied you when you learned to walk, then you need to support them when they need help and hope there will be others who will do the same for you when you grow old.”

“It’s just another phase”

“Society and the government should be sensitised to the fact that old age is just another phase of life with its special needs and characteristics just like childhood and youth,” the President said, adding that efforts should be made to provide health care and economic security to the aged.

“The real challenges that lie in the field of health security are accessibility and affordability of medical health facilities. The elderly require special geriatric care… their medical expenses increases with age whereas their income decreases or remains static. Private hospitals are reluctant to provide concessions to the elderly and insurance companies unwilling to insure the elderly,” he said.

“Proud to be an elder”

Earlier, the President made a reference to his own age and urged the elderly to refrain from thinking of old age as an inhibitor.

“I turn 77 a few months from now. Our honourable Prime Minister has just celebrated his 80th birthday. Ms. Lata Mangeshkar celebrated her 83rd birthday a few days back. Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer is going strong at the age of 97, intellectually vibrant and deeply concerned about the welfare and progress of our nation. Many more illustrious persons can be added to this list, but I stop here… There is in this audience and all around us a large number of elders who are making extremely valuable contributions to our country and to our society. I salute them and am proud to be one of them, an ‘elder’ leading a productive and fruitful life.”

The President said with advancement of medical science and technology, age is by no means a disabling factor. Quoting W. Somerset Maugham and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the President encouraged the elderly “to get out of a ‘retirement mentality’ and think about old age as a second innings.”

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Elderly to constitute 20 per cent of India's population by 2050: Report

India's population is likely to increase by 60 per cent between 2000 and 2050 but the number of elders, who have attained 60 years of age, will shoot up by 360 per cent and the government should start framing policies now else its consequences are likely to take it by surprise, a UN report said.

"India has around 100 million elderly at present and the number is expected to increase to 323 million, constituting 20 per cent of the total population, by 2050," the report jointly brought out by United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Help Age International said.

With an emphasis on addressing urgent concerns of elderly person worldwide like investment in pension and quality health care, the report said if these are not addressed promptly, the consequences of these issues are likely to take unprepared countries by surprise.

"In order to realize their right to enjoy the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, elder persons must have access to age-friendly and affordable information and services that meet their demands," the report added.

The UNFPA in its study in India, which was conducted in seven states, found that around one-fifth of the elderly live alone or with spouses only in both rural and urban areas.

70 per cent of the elderly population is illiterate and their earning capacity in the past (during their adult years) was limited and they depended upon some productive labour work outside home for their survival.

The number of people aged 80 and above, which presently is 9,249 will increase to 44,218 by 2050 while China will have 98,339. The ratio of men per 100 at the age of 60 and 80 years will be 92 and 82 which will mean women have more life expectancy.

Of the total number of elderly, about 83 per cent men were married and only 40 per cent women, while China has 79 per cent married men and 61 per cent married women.

According to the report, by 2050, India and China will have about 80 per cent of the world's elderly living there, and India is likely to pip China in the number of centenarians.

In China, there are currently 14,300 centenarians, whose number is likely to increase to 262,500, in Japan, which already has 49,500 centenarians it is expected to increase to 617,000.

In India, the total numbers of centenarians are likely to be between 151,000 and 620,000, the report said.

The report, which was released in Tokyo on the International Day of Older Persons, says that of the seven billion people who live on the planet, 893 million or 12.8 per cent are elderly.

The elderly population is likely to swell by 200 million taking it well beyond one billion people, and this would put great strain on welfare and medical systems.

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Every third senior citizen in India abused, mainly by son: Study

  

Indian sons, and their wives, aren't 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 1 in 3 (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 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, Delhi's abuse of the elderly 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 Delhi's 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 inter-generation 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.

The National Policy on Older Persons has also recognized the importance of family for the wellbeing of older persons and has decided to have programmes to promote family values, sensitize the young on the necessity and desirability of inter-generational bonding and continuity and the desirability of meeting filial obligations.

"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.

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