India as a country was well known for its strong value of caring for its elders. With breakdown in the joint family system and societal values which espoused such concerns and care for the elderly; currently the elderly find themselves totally helpless and hapless with neither the family nor the society taking responsibility for their care.
What are the Problems Associated with the Ageing Population?
Social:
• Negligence by kids towards their old parents.
• Disillusionment due to retirement.
• Feeling of powerlessness, loneliness, uselessness and isolation in elderly.
• Generational gap.
Financial:
• Retirement and dependence of elderly on their child for basic necessity.
• Sudden increase in out of pocket expenses on treatment.
• Migration of young working-age persons from rural areas has negative impacts on the elderly, living alone or with only the spouse, usually poverty and distress.
• Insufficient housing facility.
Health:
• Health issues like blindness, locomotor disabilities and deafness are most prevalent.
• Mental illness arising from senility (showing poor mental ability because of old age) and neurosis.
• Neurosis is a class of functional mental disorders involving chronic distress, but neither delusions nor hallucinations.
• Absence of geriatric care facilities at hospitals in rural areas.
• According to a recent survey, 30% to 50% of elderly people had symptoms that make them depressed. A large majority of elderly persons living alone are women, especially widows.
• Depression is strongly correlated with poverty, poor health, and loneliness.
The SAFER is providing care and support services for the elders residing in rural areas are mostly destitute, abandoned, neglected and orphaned. Most of the elders are affected by some form of diseases like diabetes, disabilities like mobility and mental depression. without support of family and community. They are suffering a lot at the time of their last days which is not say in just word.
At present we are providing services for the destitute aged people
• Distribution of welfare materials like saree, dhothi, blanket, etc.
• Awareness generation about need of care and support to the aged
Future Aspirations:
• Food distribution
• Community based care and support
• Group based home care and support
• Geriatric care and medical facilities for Elderly
• Health education and counseling
• Yoga education