Sir,
It is shocking to read that as per a survey conducted by a Delhi based NGO Agewell Foundation, every fourth elderly Indian is living alone in the country. (DE, July 9, 2018).According to the survey, 48.88 are living with their spouse only and 26.5 percent are living with their children or other family members and that only 36.81 were financially independent in the autumn of their lives. Ours is a tradition where service of the elderly is a part of our culture and neglecting an elderly people is considered to be a sin.But while technology and globalization is bringing us together, lonelines elderly people is rising.Many children desert their parents in the autumn of their life to fend for themselves and they spend their last days in oldage homes away from their children and grandchildren suffering from severe psychological and mental problems.They need love, care and attention which their children are obliged to give.Loneliness is a modern curse and the time has, perhaps come when there should be a separate ministry to deal with the problems of growing population of old people.Old people are the storehouse of wisdom and experience and they ought to be respected.They must be consulted by their children while taking important decisions to convince them that they have a say in the domestic affairs and that they are not unwanted’.Children and grandchildren should spend quality time with them.More than medicines and material comfort, they need warmth and closeness of relations and the feeling that they are important members of the family.The physical presence of children matters a lot and text message cannot replace a hug.It is also the duty of the children to manage their finances, provide them medicare and arrange for their social interaction by taking them to religious and social functions. All this can help them a lot in passing their last days of life happily and joyfully. Old people are the mines of wisdom and experience and thick trees of love and affection under whose shade the young can live comfortably and have the privilege of seeking their expert advice totally free and at any time. Let us learn to treat them as such and take care of them at the age when they need it the most.
Ashok Sharma,
Housing Colony, Udhampur.
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