We also need many more centres and assisted living facilities for our seniors so that they have options when it comes to daily living or even daycare. Though there has been a growth in this segment in recent years, many of these facilities are extremely expensive and out of the reach of most people
The woman after being found in Aarey Colony; (left) the senior citizen undergoing treatment at Cooper Hospital. Pics/By Special Arrangement
Responding to our report about an elderly woman who was allegedly abandoned by her grandson in a garbage dump at Aarey Milk Colony, the National Cancer Institute (NCI), Nagpur, has stepped forward to provide free cancer treatment to the ailing woman. The Maharashtra Human Rights Commission (MHRC), meanwhile, has taken suo motu cognisance of the incident and registered a case.
This newspaper’s June 23 report on the alleged abandonment of the woman, who had a suspected cancerous facial ulcer, sparked widespread outrage, prompting swift responses from civil society and numerous institutions. Her grandson and others have not been arrested in the case.
While this report rightly evoked outrage, it should make people introspect about the treatment of seniors in different spheres of life. It may be in families, where we often see seniors relegated to the background, barely tolerated, spoken down to, and not treated with dignity or robbed of agency when it comes to decisions, even about themselves.
They are not given the opportunity to participate fully in family matters, even when fully capable of doing so and are also made to feel left out and unwanted. We need to give them a voice and say when it has merit and they have a right to be seen and heard.
We also need many more centres and assisted living facilities for our seniors so that they have options when it comes to daily living or even daycare. Though there has been a growth in this segment in recent years, many of these facilities are extremely expensive and out of the reach of most people.
What is important, though, is empowering our senior citizens. From including them in decisions to taking care which spans the gamut, small daily tasks and medical interventions, our seniors are part of society and must feel equal, wanted, included, and factored into our lives.
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