HelpAge India is at present lobbying for a universal pension scheme in the country, said Mathew Cherian, Chief Executive Officer, HelpAge India, on the sidelines of the inauguration of a multi-facility health centre at the Immaculate Home for the Aged, Ariyankuppam, Puducherry.
In several cases, senior citizens are often left to fend for themselves with no source of income, he said. “We are also sensitising children in schools to take care of their parents and the elderly. As a society, we must focus on instilling such values in children,” he said.
HelpAge India is focused on ‘active ageing’, said Mr. Cherian. “These include preventive care, being socially active and involved in community organisations to combat loneliness, exercising and moderate eating habits,” said Mr. Cherian. He told senior citizens at the inauguration that they must devise a system to be active on their own.
Mr. Cherian said that trends of abuse are growing with one in three senior citizens in India being victims.
Mr. Cherian stressed on the need for community-based initiatives, and mentioned those supported by HelpAge India which includes self-help groups for the elderly and micro enterprises which are now being tied up with the National Rural Livelihood Mission.
