The privileges we enjoy today were hard-earned by our elders.
Anything from the comforts we cherish to the social reforms that were much needed by the society, were all attained by these experienced people. Remember their stories about their times when there were so many restrictions, and how they stood up for the things that needed change. Many times these older generations are ignored by our society. The International Day for the Elderly is the initiative to highlight the problems faced by our elders. The 1st of October is celebrated as the international day for the elderly to offer respect to these experienced individuals.
The “Aged” groups already have to deal with a lot of health, mental and emotional issues. And this year the COVID-19 is a red alert for them. And that is the theme for the year 2020, Pandemics and the changes it has brought in addressing age and ageing. It can’t be ignored that our society is so busy that we tend to totally neglect this age group. We have forgotten that they too have a life of their own and that they can have goals too. It’s observed that our elders are most of the time victims of ageism. There are so many individuals living a lonely life after the loss of their previous partner. We have to address problems of such people. They might need a partner of their own age or maybe we can come up with a group to keep them busy and have interactions with like-minded people.
In Spite of medical advancement and better health care facilities, the problems they face prevails. The critical issue is with the infrastructure in our country. Many elderly find it difficult to lead their daily life due to some ailment. Then the rising cases of Alzheimer cannot be ignored. Aged people are prone to many infections and some chronic diseases may also lead to disability in some cases.
The focus of the International day for the elderly is to address their problems and come up with options that will make their lives better. Especially in these pandemic times. Elderly couples who live away from their families struggle to get their daily medical requirements. It becomes even more difficult when these old people are left alone and have no support from their families. These people suffer from starvation and malnutrition. They have no proper sanitisation or even a place to stay. Cases of exploitation of such people have been reported on many occasions. Naishtika’s attempt is to provide them with their essentials and carry out volunteering to help in hard times.
