P K Mam
The old aged populace in our country is passing through turbulent times as most of the families and in particular those who are infirm/ dependents or have been abandoned by their children. At the fag end of life in the absence of making alternative arrangements by children to take care of old aged parents when their support and sympathy are essentially and invariably needed, the same is not available to them. The root cause behind all this is attributed to conversion of traditional joint families system to nuclear one together with the variety of other factors, as under:
* Dearth of care takers or service providers;
* Behavioural pattern of members in families, say discords, disturbances, hypocrisy, generation gap, individual ego, etc;
* Over aged children who are unable to provide physical support at times of need and on whom old aged parents are solely dependent;
* Escalating cost of care and cure
* Death of companion or any other dependent member in family;
* Non availability of institutions facilitating adoption of children/ helpers and insensitiveness of society by turning nelson’s eye to this issue even when their nearest ones are in need of such support.
Further, it is suggested that to ameliorate conditions of such advanced aged category there is dire need to set up old age homes across the country with availability of adequate and proper infrastructure e.g social support system, provision of insurance & old age pension facility, dedicated helpers, nurses, medical aid, helping tools and accessories at affordable costs in order to make the fate of such class dignified before they lose hope of survival and bid goodbye to this world.
Failure to address this crucial problem is either bound to believing in law of Karma and to exhaust the past Karma at least to some extent or then accept that life after death is extinction, and thereby to opt for desired exit from this world to get rid of suffering.
Frankly speaking, there have been number of glaring instances in some of families where such oldies have been forced to end lives due to circumstances as explained above. In fact there are instances when members become more of a liability for their own blood and flesh on account of unfortunate and non- conducive situation. I cite here an example that one frustrated person of a middle age group who was supposed to take care of his old aged parents told his friend of being lucky in having lost at young age his parents unlike him who is desperately required to attend to old aged parents in his bad state of health! Such facts are eye-opener for every one! But, surely, blessed are those who manage to make lives of such people free from suffering by love & selfless service not necessarily by medication and monetary relief only.
No doubt, it is incumbent upon Govt to take itself measures to secure the welfare of all its citizens in the State especially those who are in senior category and have inevitably entered in unfortunate phase of life. Yet, it is a fact that because of increased number of old age category with the improved condition in health care, the Govt may not find it easy, on its own, to set up Old Age Homes as viable proposition in commercial terms to meet expenses for above venture. However, where there is a will, there is a way. Such ventures can throw up opportunities for unemployed entrepreneurs significantly.
A workable solution to address the problem, that could also be considered , is that our various religious bodies/ trusts are managing huge number of shrines/ maqtabas/ churches/ Gurdwaras , who are receiving money in donation/ charities etc voluntarily and the same gets accumulated in astronomical sums in financial system . Indeed, the money pooled up is used by religious bodies/ trusts for development purposes in society like establishment of educational institutions, universities, hospitals etc. However, here, religious bodies/ trusts could also divert their own funds for establishment of their respective old aged home in order to ensure better and dignified habitation of above category in true humane service.
Believing in the saying better late than never, let us not miss the opportunity of initiating these alternatives as viable solution to alviate the suffering of old people.
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