Senior
Citizens seek protection against own Son
High court
Terms is "Unfortunate"
Aerika Singh, Chandigarh, June 3,
2011: Terming this petition before it “unfortunate”,
Honorable Justice Alok Singh of Punjab & Haryana High
Court, today, has directed the City Superintendent of
Police to enquire into the matter in a complaint filed by
two senior citizens seeking protection of life and liberty
from their own son and daughter in law. Senior Citizens
Chota Singh and his wife both aged above 80, had earlier
complained to the local police against physical abuse by
their own son, an influential property dealer. With police
showing total insensitivity to the plight of hapless
parents, and instead arresting Chota Singh, alleging
threatening behavior from a fragile & feeble old man of
80+ suffering from various old age ailments, DadaDadi.org
a local NGO for Senior Citizens, had to step in. “This
problem is now wide spread which needs to be addressed
immediately and Administration should take immediate steps
for effective implementation of Maintenance & Welfare of
Parents and Senior Citizens Act 2007” says Jorawer Singh,
who took up this couple’s case at DadaDadi.
DadaDadi comes to the rescue of Senior Citizens,
arrest warrants issued against son!
Aerika Singh, Mhow (MP), March 10: An arrest warrant
has been issued today by the court for non-appearance of
the son in the case filed by the neglected senior
citizen parents. Earlier, A Sub-Divisional Magistrate
had issued a notice to their mechanical engineer son for
allegedly neglecting his aged parents. Ms Deepti Chopra,
president of MP chapter of Dadadadi, after detecting the
precarious condition of these older adults, explained
and educated them of their rights and eventually Dr S M
Jafri (75) and his wife Naseem Jafri (72), residents of
Birdi House locality, were able to file a complaint
under the Senior Citizens’Welfare and Maintenance Act,
2008.
S M Jafri alleges in his plea that Arshad refuses to
look after them, despite earning a very good salary. The
senior Jafri retired as an Assistant Director of
Veterinary Services. Under the Act, a senior citizen can
seek a court order directing children, or grandchildren,
to pay maintenance. A person can be sentenced to
imprisonment if he/she fails to pay maintenance upon
court’s order.
“Normally, we try to persuade the children to take
care of their parents and not to neglect them, but only
in very extreme cases, we resort to the legal means,
like this.” said Ms Sukhbir, President, National body,
DadaDadi.org, congratulating Deepti for her selfless
dedication to the cause of senior citizens, further
expecting that “if given an appropriate publicity to
such matters, the children will start understanding
their obligations of their own, much before the parents
even think of taking the legal resort.”
Senior Citizens reviving almost
dead
It is not a miracle but sheer grit, passion and dedication
to profession that these Doctors, after retiring from their
cosy Government jobs, working at a construction site At Guru
Govind Singh Refinery of HMEL, 40 Km away from the Bhathinda
main city, are handling difficult and critical medical
emergencies.
Local NGO DadaDadi.org was instrumental in having these
senior citizens deployed at this site as part of its mission
to have older adults gainfully and respectfully employed.
"It is all the with the grace of god and the support
provided by the Hindustan Petroleum Mittal Energy Limited
that we are able to save the precious human lives at this
remote location" said Dr Prem Verma. Narrating an incident
which happened early this month he said "Sona Haldar, 31, a
job aspirant was standing in the queue for pre-employment
medical examination, suddenly he fall on the ground and got
unconscious, I was on duty and found that BP & Pulse was
unrecordable, heartbeat was also not coming. I immediately
started doing cardiac massage and also gave him mouth to
mouth respiration and oxygen, after 2 minutes, his heartbeat
started , then he was given emergency medicines; Injection
Effcorlin, Injection Decadrom and IV Fluid within few
minutes pulse become appeared and BP also recordable." "By
evening this daily-wager's pulse was 70/ per minute and BP
102 / 68. After stabilizing, the patient he was referred to
Charitable Hospital at Raman Mandi." added Dr Prem with
elation.
Another Senior citizen, Dr Sadhu Singh, is equally happy
after saving a life this weak. A labourer working at site,
Krishan Ram, 35, was brought to Occupational Health Centre
with the history of severe diarrheoa & vomiting. Dr. Sadhu
Singh along with Paramedical staff examined the patient; BP
& Pulse was unrecordable, heartbeat was just feeble. Dr.
Sadhu, immediately started the treatment "IV Fluid started
instantly and emergency medicines were given to him". After
15 minutes of intensive procedure, pulse & BP become
recordable. After stabilizing the patient for half an hour,
referred to Charitable Hospital at Raman.
The Corporate responsibility just does not end with this,
"Our Occupational Health team was continuously in touch with
Doctors at Charitable hospital and followed up the case till
he was finally discharged from the Hospital after about 4
days." said relieved Mr. SC Das GM Constructions and Mr Ravi
Yadav, HR Head at Bathinda Refinery.
Punjab's First Elderly Couple gets
Maintenance.
TheIndiaPost.com, Jorawer Singh, Chandigarh, August 3:
Where sons forget to discharge their "Pitri Rinn", an
obligation towards their parents, The Maintenance and
Welfare of Parents & Senior Citizens Act, 2007, is forcing
children to relearn age old values of India Society.
Sukhinder Singh & Gurcharan Kaur, 74+, bore smiles on their
faces, not just for being the first ones to get the benefit
under the act in Punjab, but more so for having fought the
battle at this age.
The father suffering from rectum cancer and mother alleging
of being beaten up and thrown out of their home, in
Amritsar-Punjab, by their 48 year old son, took these senior
citizens to the Court of Tribunal of SDM-1 RP Singh.
The tribunal besides allowing the couple, a free access to
thier home, also ordered the son to start paying the
maintenance allowance of Rs 10,000/- to his old parents.
Once again looking ahead, retired additional registrar of
co-operative societies, Punjab, Sukhinder Singh said "Even
with a monthly pension of Rs 22,000/-, life had become
unbearable both due to the medical expenses & our son" &
"thanked almighty and the State for providing with an
opportunity to play another innings of life."
Gurcharan Kaur, while seeking imprisonment for her son gave
a message that "Daughters are better than Sons, it was my
daughter, who was always there to take care of us during
these difficult times."
NanaNani are now once again set to relish the feelings of
DadaDadi.
Filing Income tax returns - Elderly
sail through with NGO
.
CHANDIGARH / The Times of India / News / July 31
By Shimona Kanwar, Times News Network
As money continues to remain a reason for contentment as
well as discord especially during the twilight of one’s
life, senior citizens in the city are taking the road less
taken as far as filing of income-tax returns is concerned.
The filing of I-T returns by 635 such senior citizens in the
Tricity through an NGO reveals more than what meets the eye.
From routine problems like cumbersome documentation process
to not-so-obvious ones like preference for non-disclosure of
income, the elderly had different reasons for approaching
‘Dadadadi’, an advocacy organization that works for
improving the lives of adults above 60 years.
‘Dadadadi’ took the initiative to help senior citizens with
paperwork and submission of forms ahead of I-T returns.
Under the service that was provided free of cost,
accountants helped the elderly in filing their returns. For
this, a special helpline number was also disseminated.
Jorawer Singh, founder of the NGO, said, “I roped in few
dedicated accountants from among my office staff. We only
asked senior citizens to furnish documents stated in the
checklist while filing return. The rest of work was done by
us.”
Interestingly, most senior citizens found the option to
their advantage. “These tax returns divulge economic affairs
that one may not like others to know about. We had been
asked to keep this information confidential. There were
cases where some elderly couples told us that they did not
want their children to know about their property or
investments,” added Jorawer.
Also, right guidance can help in saving a lot of tax.
Life-saving investments can help in getting refund amount
from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), besides providing
financial cushion during the twilight of their life.
Prem Kumar, a septuagenarian, said, “I managed to save Rs
4,000 due to timely advise on some LIC funds.”
Read earlier report about DadDadi
With retired accountants and five volunteers especially
trained to help residents understand the nitty gritty of tax
regulations, the NGO has managed to make a breakthrough of
sorts in the mindscape of senior citizens.
“The volunteers first attended a training by the IRS in tax
regulations, followed by lessons in electronic filing of I-T
returns,” said Vijay Mehra, volunteer with the NGO.
Jasmeet Kaur, a member with ‘Dadadadi’, said, “The advent of
electronic filing has made the process much easier and
quicker. It only takes a maximum of two weeks to deposit
funds into a bank account.” [rc]
Copyright © 2009 Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd
Reverse Mortgage fail to take off -
Senior Citizens India
NEW DELHI: Reverse mortgage, a popular model allowing senior
citizens to take money out of their homes, is failing to
find an abode in India. Senior bank officials that SundayET
spoke with have confirmed that the product has failed to
find takers during the last two and half years of its
existence in India.
Till now, less than 500 applicants have availed this loan in
India since its inception in 2007, a senior bank official,
who did not wish to be identified, said.
The reasons for the model not taking off in India are
manifold. From an emotional attachment with one’s house to
real estate price correction; from an absence of clear
guidance against legal complications to inadequate
marketing, the plan has been unable to meet the expectations
of financial institutions.
Reverse mortgage is a plan through which senior citizens can
avail loans from either banks or other financial
institutions by mortgaging one’s home.
If a senior owns a house and has a mortgage on the house, he
might get a reverse mortgage to pay off the existing loan
and then have some money left over to take care of his
expenses for the rest of his life. The homeowner could get
that as a lump sum or a line of credit, and wouldn’t have to
pay it back until he move...
for complete news on econimic times. click here.
DadaDadi hails UT Admin Decision
Tribunal for Senior Citizens: TOI
July 25, 2009,
Chandigarh.
Welcoming the notification of the Maintenance Tribunal &
Appellate Tribunal under sections 7 & 15 of The Maintenance
and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens’ Act, 2007, Ms
Sukhbir Kaur, president of DadaDadi, a city-based NGO for
senior citizens, congratulated the senior citizens of the
city.
“The
declaration of SDM office as Maintenance Tribunal and
District Magistrate office as Appellate Tribunal will surely
go a long way in protecting rights of the senior citizens
and imbibe moral obligations in the younger generation in
otherwise degenerating society,” the president said in a
meeting held at the society’s premises.
If
children or relatives are found to be neglecting or refusing
to maintain a senior citizen, the Tribunal may order such
children/relatives to pay a monthly allowance up to Rs 5,000
to the affected senior citizen.
Taking the lead from the Chandigarh, the President
reaffirmed the society’s resolve to relentlessly work for
the Senior Citizens across the country.
Crimes against elderly: Delhi tops
list
June 16, 2009 14:27 IST
In some bad news for the elderly, the national capital tops
a list of cities as far as crime against senior citizens is
concerned. According to a study by HelpAge India, an
organisation working for the welfare of senior citizens,
Delhi has left cities like Mumbai and Bangalore far behind
when it comes to crime against older people.
In Delhi, home to nearly a million senior citizens, crime
against elderly people is four times more than in Mumbai and
double than that of Bangalore, the NGO claimed quoting data
from the police of the three cities.
The organisation said of the total cases of crime against
elderlies registered in Delhi last year, the highest form of
crime was hurting a senior (42.2 per cent) followed by
murder and robbery which accounted to 35.5 and 13.3 per cent
respectively.
The woes of seniors seem to be basically sourced from their
own children and relatives with as much as 52 per cent of
them facing harassment for property.
Nearly 50 per cent of perpetrators of such crimes are
children and children-in-law, followed by neighbours and
others (27 per cent), the survey said. Maximum number of
property related torture cases have been recorded in South
Delhi, known for its posh colonies and tony residential
areas, while 20.8 per cent of such cases have been seen in
central Delhi.
The survey found that while one out of eight elderly said
"no one cares they exist", about 13 per cent of them feel
"trapped" in their own homes. "Abuse of senior citizens
often starts at one's own home. But fear of family shame,
continuous harassment and dependency on the abuser prevents
the issue from going out of the four walls," said Kapil Kaul
of HelpAge India. He said such abuse also comes in various
forms--physical, emotional psychological and financial.
World Elder Abuse Awareness
Day-June 15th
Chandigarh, June 16, 2009
DadaDadi.org, a
NGO working for older Adults, has also organized “Shabeel”
to celebrate much less known day “World Elder Abuse
Awareness Day”. Senior Citizens!
Background
CONSIDERING THE impact of elder
abuse throughout the world, the United
Nation International Plan of Action adopted
by all countries in Madrid in 2002 took cognizance of the
prevalence of elder abuse and put it in the frame work of
human rights violation. The International Network for the
Prevention of Elder Abuse (INPEA) is guiding, helping and
watching various aspects of the problem and in 2006 declared
June 15 as World Elder Abuse Awareness Day adopting the
Slogan, ‘My World, Your World, Our World- Free of Elder
Abuse’. The day is now declared to be observed every year
for creating awareness against abuse of elders.
According to the INPEA, elder
abuse is a single or repeated act or lack
of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship,
where there is an expectation of trust, which causes harm or
distress to an older person. It can be of various
forms-physical, psychological, emotional, sexual, financial
or simply reflect intentional or unintentional neglect.
Many elderly stuck with bad tenants'
14 Jun 2009, 0453 hrs IST, Shimona Kanwar, TNN
CHANDIGARH: Meant to resolve grievances of the elderly,
Dadadadi, an NGO, has witnessed an encouraging response.
Established to help the senior citizens lead comfortable
lives, the organization has been approached by many elders
who are struggling to get their houses vacated from
difficult tenants. Jorawer Singh, who runs the NGO,
said, “We have been inundated with calls from those who have
been facing harassment at the hands of tenants.” He said an
advocate had been engaged to respond to such matters.
District court lawyer Ameet Awasthi said, “I get almost
10-15 cases relating to senior citizens.
Of these, tenant-dispute cases form a major chunk. Also,
pendency is high in these cases.” He added, “Lawyers must
emphasize on the age factor for quick disposal of plaints.”
In his late 80’s, Sector-11 resident Air Commodore (retd)
Satinder Singh rued, “I have Parkinson’s and have been
fighting a tenancy dispute for years.” NGO member Avinash
Jolly said they would not also help elderly fight
loneliness, but also make them aware about their rights.
DadaDadi set to put lonely lives in
order
CHANDIGARH,
8 Jun 2009, 0139 hrs IST, Shimona Kanwar, TNN,
Abriged, Click here for complete news:
While the UT administration has for long been trying
hard to ensure the safety of elderly people living alone in
the city, though with
not much success, an NGO has gone a step ahead to offer them
a helping hand in living a healthy and happy life.
Dadadadi, a non-profit service and advocacy organization,
has been set up particularly to facilitate routine house
jobs that senior citizens find difficult to do all by
themselves and also to offer them emotional, financial and
health support structure.
The NGO also plans to work out income-generating activities
that can be taken up by those in need of money in their
twilight years. The organization has already tied up with
various telecom operators whereby they will be offering
re-charge coupons for sale by senior citizens. ‘’The idea is
to make them self-dependent and also to get them involved in
activities that are easy to carry out at home,’’ said
Jorawer.
Avnish Jolly, an activist associated with the NGO, added,
‘’We had conducted an independent survey recently in the
city whereby we concluded that old people felt neglected and
lonely. That is why our organization would be providing them
emotional support as well.’’
Implement Senior Citizens Act,
pleads Dadadadi
Chandigarh, June 3, 2009 : Dr Avinish Jolly
Hailing the Gujarat government’s decision to implement the
Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens’ Act,
2007, enacted by the Central government, president of the
NGO – Dadadadi, Ms Sukhbir Kaur lamented the respective
governments of states and the Chandigarh administration for
not doing so in this part of the country.
“The Act will go a long way in protecting rights of the
senior citizens and imbibe moral obligations in the younger
generation in the declining society,” the president argued
in a meeting held at the society’s premises.
It is pertinent that the law has already been implemented in
as many as 11 states – Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala,
Tripura, Orissa, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Nagaland, Delhi,
Assam and Jharkhand.
If children or relatives are found to be neglecting or
refusing to maintain a senior citizen, the Tribunal may
order such children/relatives to pay a monthly allowance of
Rs 5,000 to the senior citizen.
The President reaffirmed the society’s resolve to take up
the matter strongly with highest authorities in the
respective governments for implementing the Act.
Senior Citizens be Safe - Don't Let
Crime stop you from enjoying life
Safety News, Chandigarh, May 29, 2009
: Dr Avinish Jolly
To be safe at home make sure your locks, doors, and windows
are strong and cannot be broken easily. A good alarm system
can be very helpful. Check to make sure your doors and
windows are locked both when you are in the house and when
you're away. Make a list of your expensive belongings. You
might even take pictures of the most valuable items. Store
these papers in a safe place. Ask the local police
department about marking your valuable property with an I.D.
number.
Don't open your door before you know who is there. Ask any
stranger for proof of identity before opening the door.
Remember, you don't have to open the door if you feel
uneasy. Don't keep large amounts of cash in the house. Get
to know your neighbors, and join in a neighborhood watch
program if there is one available in your community. Be
street smart and stay alert. Walk with a friend and stay
away from unsafe places like dark alleys or parking lots.
Keep your doors locked at all times, and don't open your car
door or roll down your window for strangers. Park in well
lit areas and if confronted by a robber, don't resist, hand
over your cash right away.
DadaDadi Condemns rising Crime
Graph
News, Chandigarh, May 28, 2009 : Sukhbir Kaur
Chandigarh,
once known as city of retired, is fighting hard to retain
the tag.
With the rising
crime graph in the tri-city, Older Adults are getting
insecure even inside their own homes. The majority
population, comprising of working couples, have parents,
especially senior citizens with their expected
vulnerability, left all alone at home during the day. The
police beat schemes, senior citizen contact programmes, etc.
etc. being relegated to deep down, criminals are finding
these homes a soft target.
We at Dadadadi, strongly condemn rising crime against the
older population and urge all concerned to immediately take
steps towards providing secure environment before, god
forbids, some ugly incident does happen.
Reverse mortgage scheme still to catch up with senior
citizens
Posted: Jul 27, 2008 at 0416 hrs IST
Chandigarh, July 26 “Loans
have brought a sense of social security to the senior
citizens who do not have any other source of income during
their twilight years,” said Union Minister of State for
Finance Pawan Bansal. He was speaking at the inauguration of
the Reverse Mortgage Counselling Centre for Senior Citizens,
Chandigarh on Saturday.
He emphasised that banks should
make the reverse mortgage loan more attractive by increasing
the loan period from 20 years and enhancing the loan amount
from Rs 1 crore. Bansal said that proposals are being mooted
for tie-ups with Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) to help
senior citizens pay their installments under the scheme.
Bansal said that despite the benefits of the reverse
mortgage, its should be the last option with the senior
citizens, only after they realise that they would not get
any support from their children.
S Sridhar, chairman of the
National Housing Bank, which lanuched the scheme in the
country two years ago, was also present on the occasion.
After Delhi and Hyderabad, Chandigarh is the third city of
the country to get a counselling centre for the loan.
As per the new scheme,
senior citizens above the age of 60 years, who have their
own self-occupied property, can avail of periodical payments
from a lender (bank) against the mortgage of their house
while continuing as owner of the house.
Since the borrowers are not
required to service the loan during their lifetime, they do
not make monthly repayments of the principal and interest to
the lender. The scheme, however, is in its nascent stage. N
C Jain, Field General manager of the Punjab National Bank,
Chandigarh revealed that so far only 19 persons have come
forward from the region to avail the loans.
“While in India we have disbursed
loans under the scheme to 113 persons (amounting to Rs 46.46
crore) , in Punjab and Haryana region, there have been only
19 senior citizens (amounting to Rs 7.5 crore only) who have
come forward to avail loans under the reverse mortgage,”
said Jain.
National surveys have indicated that nearly 5 per cent of
the senior citizens in the country have no one to look after
them as they either do not have children or are neglected by
them. Only 32 per cent of the senior citizens get pensions,
while 38 per cent of this age group do not stay with their
children.
Sr citizens can now have health cover may
27, 2009
benefits concessions schemes for senior citizens
Elder Abuse in India – a case of Human Rights violations
From
Dusk to Dawn
A Poem for
Older Adults
Bill to care for senior citizens
Jail for children who abandon parents
Dump old parents, land in jail
Tell them you know
special
clinics for Senior Citizens
Senior Citizens Savings Scheme
Older Adults
OLD ACADEMICS never die, they just lose their faculties
OLD ACCOUNTANTS never die, they just lose their balance
OLD ACCOUNTS never die, they are deleted
OLD ACTORS never die, they just drop a part
OLD ALCAHOLICS/DRUG ADDICTS never die, they just get wasted
OLD ANTHROPOLOGISTS never die, they just become history
OLD ARCHERS never die, they just bow and quiver
OLD ARCHITECTS never die, they just lose their structures
OLD ASSETS never die, they just depreciate
OLD ASTRONAUTS never die, they just go to another world
OLD ATOMS never die, they just decay
OLD BANKERS never die, they just lose interest
OLD BANKERS never die, they just want to be a loan
OLD BASEBALL PLAYERS never die, they just go batty
OLD BASEBALL PLAYERS never die, they just run their last lap
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