How do societies treat old people? This is an interesting question. Almost in all existing societies of the world this question is asked; in some it is extensively debated and in others the debates are carried to their logical conclusion. Aging is a reality of life though no one knows how long one is to live. Ancient Indian ages had divided life span into four parts and for each part of life they had defined the type of duty they have to perform. The last phase of life, according to the traditional knowledge is the period for reflection, meditation and asceticism. How far that is possible to stick to, is again a moot point.
Recently, a study titled “Human Rights of Elderly in India: A critical Reflection on Social Development” has been released by Agewell Foundation after it conducted interviews of 5,000 elderly people across India. The conclusions it has drawn are not happy ones. At least we never expected that Indian society has undergone such a radical change. To highlight the point the study broadly says that two-third of elderly people of India, meaning people above the age of 60, are neglected by their families and one-third of them have suffered physical or verbal abuse. The elderly people in urban India have become more vulnerable to both neglect as well as physical or verbal abuse. This is depressing no doubt. The more depressing is that in our country there are very few old-age homes. These exist only in some major cities of the country whereas in rural areas there is hardly any old age home.
This study was carried out on 5000 elderly persons in different parts of the country. The organization claims that the study was carried out by top experts in various branches of social science like anthropologists, sociologists, psychologists and social workers. As such we have to give credence to their finding especially when they have conducted extensive field study. What the society will do about this issue is a question that will have to be debated in academic and administrative levels. What should interest us more will be to analyse the causes of this phenomenon. In the first place, the present age is the age of tremendous scientific and technological development which has left deep impact on society and life style. This has caused generation gap which is a continuing process. It means that the gap that exists between the father and the son is greater today than what it was in earlier generation. However, the gap does not end there with the son. The gap between the son and the grandson is also widening and leaving its impact on the second generation also. By and large the impression with the younger generation about the elderly is that they are of old fashion that has no takers now and hardly bear any co-relation with the up-coming generation.
The second and most important reason why elderly are neglected is that the present society has become enormously materialistic. Moral values have little importance for the younger generation. In order to meet ever growing needs of material life, younger generation and the youth have to work hard and overtime. If they do not work overtime, they cannot survive. This leaves them very little time for taking care of their old parents. They cannot give them company; they cannot take them to outing in the park or to the market place. Even they are not provided the facility of visiting their relatives. Materialism is the biggest cause of neglecting the elderly people.
People, who have just retired at the age of 60 and would still want to remain engaged as long as health permits them, do not find work to their choice and requirements. They would not want to stay back home all the day. They would not want to become a burden on their children. The problem in our country is that once a man retires, he is considered unfit for doing anything in life. With modern researches in medical science, and also given affordability, the average life span has increased and so has the possibility of retaining normal health for a longer period of time beyond retirement. If elderly people with physical capability are provided opportunity to keep themselves engaged profitably, it would give them some comfort that they are not entirely dependent on their children.
The last and most important is that we should have old age homes in almost all big towns and cities in the country. The Government is not paying full attention to the problems of elderly people and how these can be solved. There re a few recommendations from Social Welfare institutions and organizations that elderly people should be shown respect, courtesy and some facilities should be provided to them. But this is all on paper. Unless there is a constitutional provision or legislation for special facilities for the elderly people, the society is not going to do anything beyond lip service. For example people beyond 80 years of age should be given fifty per cent concession in rail and air tickets. They should be given admission in hospitals on priority basis. They should be provided with free quarterly medical check ups; their life insurance policy should be revised and reformed to allow them more benefits. There can be many things that the Government and social institutions can consider. But above everything else, there is great need for the religious and social institutions to inculcate the spirit of respecting the old age among our young generations right from their school days. Moral values have to be inculcated and taught from very early days. Educational institutions have a great responsibility in this context.
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel