Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 9 Keralam Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Monday said protecting and caring for senior citizens should become a social culture, stressing that the responsibility could not be shouldered by the government alone and required the active participation of NGOs and other agencies.
He warned that strict legal action, including prosecution, would be taken against those who abandon or drive their elderly parents out of their homes.
Speaking at a function at the Chief Minister’s conference hall to sign memoranda of understanding with institutions working in the senior citizens’ welfare sector, Satheesan said the government would coordinate with local self-government bodies and NGOs to implement comprehensive programmes for their care.
The Department of Senior Citizens signed MoUs with 12 institutions.
He said detailed data would be collected at the panchayat level on senior citizens requiring care, their mental health and those suffering from illnesses.
The data would be updated periodically to help the government plan new welfare schemes based on actual requirements.
A syllabus was being prepared for a caregiver course to improve the quality of care for senior citizens.
The curriculum would be developed after studying similar programmes in Germany, the United Kingdom and Australia and adapting them to the state’s requirements, he said.
The one-year practical course would be positioned just below nursing in terms of its level of training, he said.
Caregivers would be appointed by coordinating the efforts of the government, local self-government institutions, NGOs and corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds, Satheesan said.
A volunteer corps comprising higher secondary school students would also be formed.
Students visiting senior citizens and enquiring about their well-being would help reduce their loneliness and improve their quality of life, he said.
Stressing that the government’s objective went beyond providing care, Satheesan said it also aimed to promote a silver economy by utilising the experience and knowledge of retired people to mentor new startups and industries.
The 12 institutions that signed MoUs with the Department of Senior Citizens will provide academic, research, technical and institutional support in selected areas according to their expertise.
The department’s activities would focus on five areas: active and healthy ageing; community-based care and independent living; silver and care economies; research and evidence-based policymaking; and universal social security and rights.
A one-day workshop on the state policy and action plan for senior citizens was also held as part of the programme. Representatives of the institutions and various government departments participated in it.
After the workshop, representatives of the institutions met the Chief Minister at the Secretariat to discuss the department’s future activities. Department Secretary Dr Rathan U Khelkar and Director Dr Arun S Nair also attended the meeting.
The 12 institutions that signed the MoUs are the Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (IMHANS), Dementia India Alliance, Public Health and Social Development Foundation, Health Action by People, Rajagiri College of Social Sciences, Kerala Association of Professional Social Workers, Loyola College of Social Sciences, Swasti the Health Catalyst, Centre for Management Development, Centre for Socio-Economic and Environmental Studies, Bharata Mata Extension for Organic Research and Environment, and the National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS).
The Department of Senior Citizens is the first of its kind in the country and was established soon after the UDF government came to power in May this year.
(PTI News)
