Recent survey report demonstrates shocking lack of concern and respect for elders
A nationwide survey on how elders in India are treated has come out with some disturbing facts. This is all the more so because respect and care for elders is ingrained in Indian culture, often to extents that may sound weird in today's environment. The survey findings indicate that the situation has changed dramatically since the time when the aged were given the consideration they deserved by virtue of their wisdom, their contribution to family and society at large, and for their guiding spirit in times of conflict. A Helpage India survey report shows that elders are being treated badly not just in the public but also often at homes. If more than 50 per cent of the elders surveyed believe that their lot is discriminated in society and 44 per cent say they have been ill-treated, they speak from experience. These are average figures at best; in many cities of the country the numbers are higher. In Bengaluru, for instance, 70 per cent of elders have reported ill-treatment in public places. If these statistics are depressing enough, there's worse to follow. Close to 65 per cent of elders believe that it's easy for people to get away by being abusive to elders; the figure is over 90 per cent in Bhubaneswar and 85 per cent in Guwahati, while Delhi returns a heartening low of 16 per cent. It is for the experts to determine the causes of these varying numbers — the highs in east India and the surprising low in Delhi. But the larger picture remains unaltered, which is that the elderly population battles with not just personal issues relating to age but also the biases and intolerance of the younger lot.
Of course, the issue of dignity for elders also includes their physical safety. With the proliferation of nuclear families — where children, once they settle down to a career and family, begin to live apart from their parents — the physical safety and care of the elderly parents become a challenge for society and the law enforcement agencies in particular. One keeps hearing and reading of reports where elders are assaulted and robbed in their homes where they live by themselves. There is also the psychological dimension. With children living separately, and at times not corresponding enough with their parents — or not corresponding at all — often a situation develops where the elders go into depression and need more medical help than would otherwise be necessary. Besides, the increasing number of old-age homes across the country is testimony to the growing instances of elders being not just ill-treated but also thrown out of homes once they have lost their utility value. The problem is arguably less acute in rural India where the joint family system remains in place in most cases, thus ensuring that the elders have a support system when they need it the most. And, it's not just family but village society as a whole which chips in to help the elderly. This is not to say that elders always receive exemplary treatment in rural India. There are instances of brutality, with children turning against parents to levels that they get violent and kill. Among the common causes is property. But whatever the reasons may be, the abuse of elders shows the depths that society in general has sunk to.