The column emotional and financial abuse of the elderly rightly pointed out that the worst offenders in this regard are the family insiders who have an evil eye on the financial assets and other physical possessions of senior citizens. The problem is further compounded by the general apathy of the other family members and the neighbours who generally tend to look the other way when such instances of mistreatment of seniors take place. In the present age of social alienation, the hapless silvers have no recourse other than being at the mercy of their own kith and kin. The initiative of Delhi Police in undertaking visits of senior citizens at regular intervals to enquire about their general well-being and attendant problems is highly praiseworthy and needs to be emulated by other metropolitan cities as well. For the last four years, I have been a care-giver for my nonagenarian father suffering from dementia and I can proudly say that this has been a very fulfilling experience. Needless to add, the afflictions of the aged can be reduced to a significant extent by the soothing touch of personal care.
Amit Banerjee
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
