Frail and vulnerable, elderly continue to battle neglect
The Hindu
Helpline for senior citizens received over 27,000 calls in past one year
When Sasikala K., a former professor of English at a private institution, fractured her leg in February this year — her second such injury in four years — little did she expect that it would leave a permanent emotional scar.
“I returned home on a stretcher after treatment and my husband asked me to move out. He refused to give me money for medicine or other expenses. I understood recovery would not be possible unless I moved out,” recalls the 58-year-old, sitting among senior citizens at an elder care Centre run by RK’s Mother Teresa Foundation in Karkhana here.
Old, frail and dependent on others for their daily needs, senior citizens are a highly vulnerable group. Their vulnerability is not only restricted to health needs, but also includes being subjected to harassment, abuse, and abandonment — often at the hands of their own family members.