Karnataka plans to launch coordinated efforts to help the elderly

If the warning for senior citizens health-wise was very clear during the first wave of COVID-19, the subsequent months and the second wave this year have had a larger bearing, not just physically but

If the warning for senior citizens health-wise was very clear during the first wave of COVID-19, the subsequent months and the second wave this year have had a larger bearing, not just physically but also emotionally and financially. And if indications from recent surveys are anything to go by, India’s elderly are feeling left out in the cold. This has prompted the government to think about reaching out to them. Uma Mahadevan, Principal Secretary, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, who is also the nodal officer for coordination with NGOs and corporates/private sector during the pandemic, told The Hindu that there were plans to rope in volunteers to check in on the elderly and help them out with issues ranging from pension to active ageing. “We are planning to coordinate with organisations such as Nightingales Medical Trust (NMT) and HelpAge India, as well as the Department for the Empowerment of Differently-abled and Senior Citizens and the Department of Youth Empowerment, to train volunteers to visit senior citizens, say once a week. NSS volunteers will be trained to help them with their pension, health cards, MNREGA job cards, bank work etc., after an orientation programme. With doctors also prescribing active ageing, they can be taken to a library or some kind of activity,” she said.