D N Singh
A ninety five year old man dies in an old age home completely unattended by his five daughters and so happened that after his death none of them reached the home despite being informed.
Sadashiva Acharya, from Kantilo in Odisha was abandoned at a Home 3 years back and he underwent the ordeals of loneliness and later old age related illness which continued for over a year.
The man was left to his fate despite hailing from a good family . When nothing happened he was housed in a home in Bhubaneswar. Although his one daughter was informed of his worsening health and his last wishes to meet his daughters, none of them responded.
At last Sadashiva died with all his wishes went with the flames as the Home authorities solemnised the last rites on their own.
In fact, the case of late Acharya is not a new one but that is usual that many such senior citizens undergo such predicaments alone and suffer the ignominy of abandonment in the worsening mind-set born out of change in the present day societal abnormalities.
Odisha has about 91 such shelter homes for senior citizens but more or less each Home has a similar story to tell.
Today our country witnesses an alarming rise in the number of abandoned elderly citizens among its population which is over 100 million old people. Reason can be that our society now undergoes rapid modernization and urbanization, and traditional support systems are being eroded. This leaves many elderly individuals marginalized and vulnerable.
Odisha being a God fearing state, binding of the family concept was once robust. As elsewhere, one of the main reasons for the abandonment of the elderly in India is changing social dynamics and family structures.
Disappearing joint family concept
The shift from joint families to smaller families often leaves elderly parents or relatives isolated and unsupported. Moreover, changing social norms and increased financial pressures on younger generations can lead to a lack of resources or willingness to care for elderly family members. This results in abandonment.
In India, the proportion of older persons has risen from 4.9 per cent in 1901 to 5.5 per cent in 1951, 6.5 per cent in 1991 to 7.7 per cent in 2001 and will be 12 per cent in 2025 and like many other developing countries in the world, India is confronted with plight of elders comprising young, old, middle, oldest and extremely old persons resulting from rapid aging of its population.
Time has come that there must be a change in mind-set so that instead of leaving the elderly to fend for themselves without a family to take care and nurse your sentiments, may lead to abandonment of sorts when an elderly painfully looks at a Home rather than rotting in an uncared life.
Disclaimer: This is the personal opinion of the author. The views expressed in this write-up have nothing to do with www.prameyanews.com.
