Politics of Elderly

Senior Citizens

No Vote Bank

By Vinod Varshney

Problem of elderly people is not getting enough attention from the Government and politics both in India. Though senior citizens in India are approximately ten percent of the society, it is amazing why politics did not pay attention to this section of voters. Problems are aplenty. No doctors in geriatric care. Not many teaching institutes for nursing care and doctors. No old age homes worth the name. No private-public partnership in this important area. Families are getting nuclear more and more. And elderly are lonely.

For the main-stream media problems of elderly are a non-issue. Last month World Elder Abuse Day came and went unreported in most of the mainstream media. A few NGOs drooling for money from international organizations did organize small public meetings. How much awareness can be created by such meetings, can be anybody’s guess.

I found time to attend one such public meeting held in India Habitat Centre, which has become a hub in New Delhi for NGO meetings. The odd fifty senior citizens, who came there, were all representatives of the affluent section of the society.

Real Problems of Elderly in Slums

After hearing a lot of grouse and resolve to fight for their dignity, security and comfort, finally Justice Rajendra Sachar, the chairperson did some plain talk. He told the gathering that such meetings should take place in slums as the real problems of the older people were there, where they really need government and society’s support. They get no medical treatment, no pension, virtually no income, and totally dependent on someone who might be earning only Rs 20 day to look after his entire family.

In the NGO meeting everybody spoke English except one who was laughed at and heckled. Elite section of the society is being made to believe courtesy UN organizations that the rights should be identified, perceived, orchestrated, demanded and fought for. This approach demands legislation, funding, bureaucracy, programs, research and high profile jobs.

Effective Can be Socio-Cultural Approach

The other approach can be socio-cultural. For this there can be only social indigenous endeavor which is lack-luster. One senior citizen mentioned also in the meeting in response to the allegations of cruelty of the younger generation in the families, that there should be a limit to what should be expected from younger generation.

Justice Sachar also mentioned that there should be some moral standards in the society. Thinking that a son will do a cruelty to his parents is horrible. It is not Indian tradition. But generation gap can be there, attitudinal gap can be there and generations should adjust.

“There remains a communication gap between older and younger people, but 65 % fault lies with elderly”, opined one senior citizen. Counseling system is therefore necessary, so that rather than taking recourse to law, children and elderly are counseled.

Neglect of Old Age Homes in Delhi

As job burden, thanks to MNCs in India is so much now on younger working couples that there is need for development of institutional support system. But in India stigma is attached to Old Age Homes. Moreover they are hopeless. Local BJP leader Poornima Sethi accused the Delhi Government for neglecting Old Age Homes in Delhi.