Bhubaneswar: Seven in every 100 elderly persons faced abuses of various forms, while one in every three elderly persons didn’t earn a penny in the past year, according to a study by HelpAge India. They include 37 per cent in the age group of 80 and above, and 36 per cent in the age group of 71-79.
The report of the pan-India study conducted in 20 Tier I and Tier II cities across 10 states in the country was released during a function on the eve of the ‘World Elder Abuse Awareness Day’, at the Centre for Youth and Social Development here Friday. As per the study, only around 15 per cent of elderly persons (60 and above) reported working.
A small proportion of the elderly (29 per cent) reported having access to social security schemes such as old-age pensions, contributory pensions and provident funds. Bharati Chakra of HelpAge India said, “Awareness on the issue of elder abuse cannot be created only by discussion. Strong initiatives have to be taken with a large number of youth involved. To bring change and improve the condition of the elderly, we have to take each and every problem of theirs into consideration.” Loneliness is one of the major issues faced by the senior citizens having a serious effect on their overall health and quality of life. It can be overcome by encouraging communities and their own people to reach out to them and provide companionship and support to them, she said. As per the study, more than half of elderly persons (52 per cent) reported facing at least one challenge related to activities of daily living (ADL).
Around 54 per cent of elderly females reported facing at least one difficulty related to ADL, which is marginally higher than the male respondents. The majority of the respondents in the age group of 70-79 (63 per cent) and 80 and above (71 per cent) reported facing difficulties related to ADL. On the digital empowerment front, 59 per cent of those surveyed had no access to gadgets. The most common device being used was smartphones. Amongst those using of digital devices, 34 per cent of all elderly surveyed used them for entertainment and social media regularly, very often or sometimes.
RESHMI YADAV, OP