Government needs to look into upkeep of old age homes
Posted on: 09/May/2013 3:42:20 PM
Chennai has the second highest population of elderly people in the country after Kolkata. While Kolkata is at 10%, Chennai is at 8%. Although this is a significant number, the government’s records show the number of old age homes at 3! The National Association of Senior Citizens Association of India (NASCAI) has the number at 40.
According to people who work at the Association, old age homes do not want to register themselves as they will have to adhere to the infrastructure available and the treatment given to the inmates. ‘Conditions are abysmal at most free homes… They often receive huge amounts in donations from abroad but use very little of the money for the inmates of the homes.
At some homes, elderly have to sleep on the floor and are given one meal a day. At one of these centres, we found that 40 people had to use a single toilet… Because there is an acute shortage of old age homes for people with Alzheimer`s disease and other forms of dementia, they live with mentally sound people. Their infirmities often lead to ill treatment by staff at the homes’, says an official.
