AAP International - New Delhi

Any social setup is considered more cultured when their elders are treated with respect and care and India is globally known for its culture of respect for older members of the family. India as the second most populous country in the world has 76.6 million people at or over the age of 65, constituting above 7.7% of total population and with the increase in average age expectancy globally, their number is fast growing.  However, with the social and cultural changes taking place in the society, the problems faced by the elderly people are increasing. A large number of old parents are now deciding to live in old age homes rather than living with their children. Cultural factors, changes in lifestyles, ambitious youngsters shifting overseas for better career opportunities, nuclear family structure etc are some of the reasons why the older citizens are neglected and deprived of social security and care.

A large number of old parents are now deciding to live in old age homes rather than living with their children because of several factors like cultural differences and better job opportunities for the youngsters, a large chunk of younger population shifting overseas etc,

Our culture recognizes the status of the parents as that of God. A moral duty is put on the children to take care of their parents. But what we are observing in our society is that children are not willing to take care of their parents. Additionally, a large number of old single people are staying alone as the children have got busy with their own families and they are leading nuclear lives with a dictum me and my own family.

Education for Poor:

Children are the future of a nation. For an emerging and developing country like India, development of underprivileged children holds the key to the progress of the nation itself.
It has been seen that bright young children do well, get admissions in universities but they are unable to continue further education because of lack of financial support. We aim to provide this support to aid in the development and growth of these children and the nation overall.

Medical:

The Department of Community Medicine in South India interviewed a total of 213 elderly patients (60 years and above) who attended the outreach clinics using a pre-tested schedule.
Findings were described in terms of proportions and percentages to study the socio-economic status of the samples and its correlation to social problems.

Results:

Showed that around 73% of the patients belonged to the age group of 60-69 years old, nearly half of the respondents were illiterate. Around 48% felt they were not happy in life. A majority of them had health problems such as hypertension followed by arthritis, diabetes, asthma, cataract, and anemia. About 68% of the patients said that the attitude of people towards the elderly was that of neglect.

Conclusions: 

The results of the study showed that there is a need for geriatric counseling centers that can take care of their physical and psychological needs, in addition to physical, mental, emotional and economical support. The stringent rules for eligibility to social security schemes should be made more flexible to cover a larger population.

Change in socio-economic status adversely affects the individual's way of life after retirement. The economic loss is due to a change from salary to pension or unemployment leading to economic dependency on children or relatives. A feeling of low self-worth may be felt due to the loss of earning power and social recognition.

We aim to provide basic medical support to aid older single people to live a life of dignity.