Govt has to provide shelter for abused elders 25 Jun 2009, 0327 hrs IST,
Rajeshree Nagarsekar, TNN
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MARGAO: Vincent Fakir Chandra, 68, a resident of Loutolim, is a victim of
elder abuse. Suffering from a severe prostrate illness, he is
reconciled to take shelter at a day-care centre in Margao, some 10 km from
his residence, while he spends the night at a friend's house in the village.
He's been living like this for the last four months.
On February 22, life took a dramatic turn for the UP native. His wife,
originally from Saligao, had just succumbed to a brief illness. "When I
returned to my flat at Monteiro Enclave, Loutolim, after the funeral, I was
shocked to see a relative illegally occupying my house. When I tried to
enter, he abused me and pushed me out and no one came to my rescue. I could
not even take away my belongings," Chandra narrates his traumatic
experience.
Friend Thomas Andrade incidentally, did come to Chandra's rescue. He has
been providing him shelter since the incident. "A week ago, I was told by a
friend to refer Chandra's case to the Senior Citizens Forum of India at
Margao," says Andrade. He has.
In the meanwhile, Chandra's life is a living hell. He spends most of the
time at the day-care centre which provides him some snacks. When the centre
closes at 5pm, he walks to the municipal garden and waits for Andrade to
pick him up.
At the Maina-Curtorim police station, police sub-inspector Paresh Naik says
"some preliminary inquiries" have been conducted into the FIR lodged by
Chandra. "The case is under investigation. It is even more confusing as the
culprit claims he is Chandra's son," says Naik.
Meanwhile, the Senior Citizen's Forum of India is contemplating fighting a
legal battle through its grievance cell. "It is learnt that one Assis
D'Souza and his wife have forcibly evicted sick and mourning Chandra out of
the flat purchased and owned by him, which amounts to criminal trespass.
Furthermore, they have threatened him with dire consequences if he attempts
to enter the flat. Chandra, being a native of UP has no one to go to. It is
only because of the help rendered by Thomas that he is alive," Narayan
Dessai, chairman of the forum's cell, says.
At Loutolim, there's a lock on the flat in Monteiro Enclave and efforts to
contact D'Souza prove futile.
Nonetheless, Chandra's story is not unique. While official statistics are
unavailable, Dessai says cases of elder abuse are on the rise. What's worse,
he adds, is that the government has failed to implement its own laws causing
abused elders to land up in poorly-run state old age homes or public
hospitals.
"I deal with over 10 cases of elder abuse in a month and the number of
senior citizens approaching courts for
relief<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Goa/Govt-has-to-provide-shelter-for-abused-elders/articleshow/4698291.cms#>is
increasing," says Dessai. "While we try to give them respite through
various government departments, the mental agony suffered by a victim of
elder abuse is irrelievable. The government should focus on providing
shelter to abused elders," stresses Dessai.
At the Directorate of Social Welfare, director N B Narvekar says, "We are in
the final stage of framing rules for the state policy (on elderly) as well
as the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents & Senior Citizens Act, 2007. Once
these rules are framed the district collector will be assigned the task of
dealing with cases of elder abuse and those in distress."
Convenor of the Bailancho Ekvott, Auda Viegas, says there's an urgent need
for a helpline for the elderly. "There is a pressing need for such a
helpline as the number of elder abuse cases, especially among senior women,
are on the increase in Goa," says Viegas.
Claiming that the NGO deals with a number of cases everyday where elderly
women are thrown out of the house they built with their own
incomes<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Goa/Govt-has-to-provide-shelter-for-abused-elders/articleshow/4698291.cms#>,
Viegas says, "The government should provide short stay homes to such people
pending legal action. Legal respite should be immediate considering their
short life span. And they should be compulsorily put back into their own
homes as they have a legal right to their properties."
Incidentally, under the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents & Senior Citizens
Act, 2007 the state government has to establish and maintain old age homes
at accessible places, at least one in every district with the ability to
accomodate 150 indigent senior citizens. The Act further calls for the state
to prescribe a scheme for management of old age homes, including standards
and various types of services to be provided by them such as medical
care<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Goa/Govt-has-to-provide-shelter-for-abused-elders/articleshow/4698291.cms#>and
entertainment.
The government is further responsible, under the Act, to ensure that state
hospitals provide beds for all senior citizens as far as possible, provide
them facilities for treatment of chronic, terminal and degenerative
diseases, expand research activities for chronic elderly diseases and aging
and provide earmarked facilities for geriatric patients in every district
hospital duly headed by a medical officer with experience in geriatric care.
QUOTES:
I deal with over 10 cases of elder abuse in a month and the number of senior
citizens approaching courts for relief is increasing. While we try to give
them respite through various government departments, the mental agony
suffered by them is irrelievable. The government should focus on providing
shelter to abused elders
-- Narayan Dessai, chairman, grievance cell, Senior Citizen's Forum of India
We are in the final stage of framing rules for the state policy (on senior
citizens) as well as the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents & Senior
Citizens Act, 2007. Once these rules are framed the district collector will
be assigned the task of dealing with cases of elder abuse and those in
distress
-- N B Narvekar, director, Social Welfare
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Goa/Govt-has-to-provide-shelter-for-abused-elders/articleshow/4698291.cms
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