Old Age And The Importance Of Elderly Care Services Today

Infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age are the most important stages in a mans life. All these stages have their own issues and problems. As each stage passes the physical strength deteriorates and the mental stability diminishes. It is believed that there are over 80 million senior citizens in India. As age progresses, several medical issues arise, some of the known diseases are blood pressure, diabetes, cardiac issues, arthritis, cancer, joint pains, tuberculosis, and kidney infections.
Its just not disease that affects old age; there are various other issues that govern the downfall of the health of the old people. One of the main issues is the negligence from the younger generation. Old people need supervision, the laxity to understand the needs and worries of elders make them appear strangers to the younger generation, who later regard them as a burden.
Old people are subject to abuse from family members over property dispute, some of them are even forced to sell their belongings and live in penury till death. Many of them are too scared to express themselves or fear being humiliated by their loved ones.
In 2007, President Smt Pratibha Patil approved the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act; under which abandoning parents or any kind of abuse is a punishable offence.
According to the act, parents cannot be evicted from a house, if they have been staying there since long. There are 3 enactments that can be practiced.
Under section 125 of the CrPC, a magistrate can command a child to take care of his old parents under the Maintenance of Parents Act.
The Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act say an aged parent can demand maintenance from children in the same way that a wife can demand it from her husband.
Domestic Violence Act also provides parents with the right to seek relief from any kind of abuse.
Elders desire a life with good health, dignity, economic independence and finally a peaceful death. They long for care, love and affection. Understanding their needs and concerns, will ensure their good health. Lending an emotional support to the elders keep them jovial, which is inevitably the ideal way to live a healthy life. However, for many people, providing care and attention to elders is not possible due to work priorities.
Elders suffering from cognitive challenges undergo serious personality changes; at this point they need care and attention. When they are left unattended, most of them are gripped with overwhelming feelings of dejection, purposelessness; some of them even turn violent. Regardless of the fact that many of us know that aging is a natural progression and it has its own shortcoming, most of us tend to ignore this and resort to an unruly approach.
Families who find it difficult to take care of their elders due to other responsibilities; can resort to care homes that provide elderly care services. These homes are specifically initiated to address the needs of elders. They are the ideal place for your loved ones; moreover, for the individuals working at care homes see to it as an extremely rewarding experience to take care of aging persons. There are several successful care homes in Indian now. There many organizations that offer elderly care services in Gujarat, as the state has fairly high number of NRIs compared to other states.
Kadji The Care is one such organization that provides professional care services to elders, bedridden individuals, and also to those recovering from accident or illness.