TOI: Spare a thought for us: April 15, 2008 | Senior Citizens : News Articles

The elderly in our society have been made to pay an exorbitant price twice over — first, due to ill-treatment by their own children because they are so dependent and, second, by way of murders in their own homes because they are vulnerable. While the Maintenance Bill adopted by Parliament may provide some solace in the former case, the seriousness of the latter problem is still crying for attention.

The physical security problems faced by the elderly living alone — today and in the foreseeable future — require both large and small solutions. But, what is worrisome are some of the statements made by representatives of the various concerned agencies such as the police about the behavioural dispositions of the older people.

On the one hand, certain questions about the elderly are answered with ‘they are old and frail with nothing to be robbed of ’ or ‘they are non-cooperative’. On the other hand, they are admonished to ‘stay careful themselves about their safety’. Let us, first of all, remember that, as a subgroup of society, the elderly vary in age, health condition, education, social background and other characteristics. In addition, there are the culturally imposed roles of passivity, compliance and virtually complete economic dependency in respect of most elderly females in our society.

Second, we are generally not in touch with the emotional needs of older people as members of their families, their internal discords and conflicts and resulting strained relationships, their cumulative stress/depression levels and what part these influences play upon them. The isolated aged is a fiction and therefore all these factors should be taken together in arriving at an assessment of the old and their behaviour.

Communicating even with the so-called adults in life can often be a never-ending and frustrating exercise. With those who are growing old or already at an advanced age, it can be full of all sorts of hazards. So, let us not confuse their ‘no stake in security mechanisms’ as resistance or rejection. Their apathy or indifference may be for a number of reasons: failure to understand the urgency and critical nature of the matter itself; failure to discern that an immediate response is expected of them; hostility towards resident welfare associations because of their past failure to fix a thing or two. The list can go on. Perhaps, others need to fine-tune their skills while communicating with their ‘old and frail’ fellow residents. Who knows there may be some who are wrapped up in an intense emotional crisis at the time they are contacted.

Delhi Police accomplished a major social purpose when a few years ago it set up a Senior Citizens Security Cell. It registered those living separately from their children, mailed New Year greeting cards and held annual cultural shows for them with a number of dos and don’ts on safety measures. The best part of the policy was frequent visits by the beat officers to the registered elderly in their respective areas.

The aim was to help the police know and understand all the vital facts about local residents. But, how has this policy fared in practice? From my experience as a registered senior citizen, this isn’t working so well. I had asked the senior-most beat officer to pay me a visit a couple of months ago. No visit, no phone call for several weeks. And, no apologies, either, when the visit finally materialised after 45 days, following a complaint to the headquarters.

The needs of the elderly are complex and exceptional. Ideally, the family remains the best option for the health and happiness of the elderly. But, considering the materialistic and spiritually impoverished values of the younger generation, the elderly don’t seem to have much of a chance — the forceful Maintenance Bill passed by Parliament to bind them notwithstanding. It is necessary therefore for both the police and the resident welfare associations to rethink their attitudes and behaviour towards the elderly. Let us get rid of some of the stereotypes about them.

The writer was on the faculty of the Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi.

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