How To Ensure Better Care and Help For The Elderly
by Kanan James NGO INDIAAlmost all families have people who are
above 60 years of age. These people have certain unique needs. Let us see help
for the elderly and how to take care of them and ensure fulfillment
of these needs.
As a person ages, he undergoes certain
changes both mentally and physically. His actions tend to slow down, his powers
of comprehension tend to go down and his body becomes
afflicted with ailments and conditions which need attention. At this stage a
person survives as much on food as he does on medicines. Hence taking care of
these people becomes a priority so that they are able to live a relaxed, happy
and problem-free life.
Elderly care broadly refers to a number of
services which are provided to the elderly or the aged in lieu for money. This
care includes:
·
Assisted living thereby
providing home support for the elderly,
·
Adult day care facilities,
·
Long term care for people who
are not able to independently mover about or are confined to their beds,
·
Nursing homes which fulfil the
requirement of taking care of these people when they fall gravely ill,
·
Hospice care and
·
Even home care required for
specific periods of time.
The biggest advantage of providing elderly
care is that they allow these senior citizens to age gracefully with dignity.
However, elderly care differs from country to country. While the continent of
Asia is famous for the elderly being looked after by their younger generations,
help for the elderly, is facilitated in the western counties with the
help of senior citizen homes and retirement homes etc. However, today, with a
change in the dynamics of today’s progressive society, the process of taking
care of the elderly at homes is slowly getting replaced. This shift or change
that is taking place is because of the:
·
Decrease in the size of the
family,
·
Increase in the life expectancy
of the elderly,
·
Geographical dispersions of
families,
· Increase in the number of women
attaining higher education and being gainfully employed outside of their homes
etc.
In the Asian countries where residential
care for the elderly is still popularly followed, it is the woman, above the
age of 45, who are the informal caregivers and who spend much more time with
the elderly than their male counterparts.
This has given rise to a number of both
private and government run senior citizen’s homes which run on donations given
by philanthropic individuals or companies. This donation under sec 35 ac,
is tax-free and can be submitted to gain tax exemption on the amount donated.
This money is utilised by these senior citizen homes for:
·
Providing skilled medical care
as well as non-medical or social care,
·
Promoting independence among
the elderly,
· Improving their mobility and
providing them with ample opportunities to keep using their muscles and limbs
etc.
Incapacity is perhaps the worst condition
faced by the elderly. It is not only frustrating but also extremely unnerving
and unknowingly erodes the body. In this instance, the court has to declare the
incapacity of the person and a legal guardian is appointed to take care of his
deeds.
Elderly care is a part of the journey of
life for many. And people involved in the same have a specific system by which
they regulate the food, medicines etc., taken by the elderly. Once this basic
need is met, elderly people tend to lead a happy and relaxed life thereby
surviving with self-respect for many more years.
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Created on Oct 26th 2017 01:45. Viewed 354 times.