The Hindu : Karnataka / Mysore News : Helpline for the elderly in Mysore from March 12

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Mar 06, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka - Mysore

Helpline for the elderly in Mysore from March 12

By Sharath S. Srivatsa

MYSORE, MARCH 5. The often harassed and deserted brigade of old people will have something to cheer about. For, shortly, Mysore city will have a helpline to assist and provide counselling to elderly people in distress.

The helpline will assist elderly people who face isolation, desertion, exploitation and harassment, and those who suffer from medical problems. It will also assist senior citizens in legal matters. Mysore will be the second city in the State after Bangalore to have a helpline for elders.

A joint project of the Mysore city police, the Department of Disabled Welfare and J.S.S. Medical Service Trust, the helpline will be tentatively launched on March 12, and will operate through a toll free number of 1090.

Disclosing this to The Hindu , the Police Commissioner, Praveen Sood, said: "The helpline becomes imperative as neither the police stations nor personnel are equipped to handle problems related to the elderly. During times of distress, these senior citizens require long hours of counselling and assistance, which cannot be provided in the police stations."

Mr. Sood said the helpline would not assist people in sorting out disputes that remained outside the purview of the counselling. If the problems can be sorted out in the legal ambit of courts, such cases will not be taken by the helpline, he added.

The helpline will be based in J.S.S. Hospital on Ramanuja Road, and will act as a nodal point to coordinate activities and problems related to the elderly. While trained experts will provide counselling, medical attention to the needy will be provided at government hospitals. Two highly-qualified social workers and an assistant will man the helpline, besides taking the assistance of the NGOs.

Educating senior citizens

The counsellors will also try to educate senior citizens to carry with them the identity cards for the purpose of identification and also assist the police in finding the addresses. Mr. Sood said: "There have been instances when elderly persons, suffering from senile dementia losing their way due to loss of memory or confusion. In such cases, the police personnel would send them to old-age homes since addresses could not be found."

Networking NGOs

While acting as a transit point, he said, the helpline would assist in the networking of several NGOs that are working in various issues related to the elderly. Most of these social service organisations were working in isolation, and that the helpline would act as a link and bring these NGOs together, he added.

The helpline for elderly is being established as part of the national policy on elderly that has been adopted by Karnataka, which entails each district to have a helpline to assist senior citizens in distress. The distress could be wrought on them by the fate such as loss of memory or medical illness or by children.

According to Mr. Sood, no data on the number of calls made by distressed senior citizens to the police is available. He said that even if elderly persons were calling the stations, there was no way of collecting the data, and that the launch of helpline for elders will help in generating and maintenance of the data.

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