Monday, June 25, 2012

A library in an Old Age Home

I like this story as it talks of a library set up in an Old Age home
by a retired CGHS doctor turned librarian. As suspected, the usage of
this unique library is low; The manager of Old age home is right when
she says that they are wary of accepting all donations of books as it
is difficult to maintain.-- Vyasamoorthy
And now for the news ----
===

A home for books
Alokparna Das,
Posted: Jun 24, 2012 at 0132 hrs IST
Source: http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/a-home-for-books/966056/


Agatha Christie sits next to Roget's Thesaurus, and Japuji Saheb is
placed next to a translation of the Torah. More than 3,000 books —
both old and new — on subjects as diverse as ancient architecture,
literature, geography, health, religion, metaphysics, hobbies and even
journalism, are neatly stacked in a cosy library that also boasts of
some replicas of ancient Indian art.
It's an excellent collection, and the man who manages the library is
equally impressive — Dr Janki Ballabh Jha — a medical practitioner
fluent in at least three languages has translated the Gita into
archaic English verse that the US-based International Gita Society has
uploaded on the Net. The most interesting aspect of the library is,
however, its setting — an old age home.

Godhuli, the senior citizens' home run by the Servants of the People
Society, has become a landmark in Dwarka. Neat and clean with modern
amenities, facilities such as gym and parking, and pleasing environs,
it is home to around 60 people, who, like 80-year-old Dr Jha, have
chosen to stay here post-retirement.

The library is located on the first floor of the building, next to a
sitting area with comfortable chairs and sofas and overlooking a
garden.

"While most of the titles are in English, we have around 300 books in
Hindi and 150 in Bengali — mostly literary works," says Jha, who
speaks all the three languages. He is self-taught in library science,
and in literature his personal favourites are Shakespeare and Arthur
Conan Doyle.

Using the universal decimal code, he has catalogued the entire
collection under various heads, including something as unusual as
'Death, Funeral & Obituary'.

"It is neither unusual nor morbid," he counters. "It is a biological
inevitability and also at a higher plane, the final question,"
philosophises Jha, who retired as chief medical officer, CGHS, and
practised in his native village in Jharkhand for a while before
joining Godhuli. "I was the fifth resident to join this place," he
says while showing us a 1954 second edition Kemsley Manual of
Journalism.

The voluntary work of a resident-librarian is, however, not without
regrets. The well-stocked place gets few visitors. "One of the
residents, a PhD in Sanskrit, was a regular reader here, but now with
failing health and poor eyesight she is unable to come to the library.
A 93-year-old lady borrows books quite regularly. Apart from them, you
can say that I am the sole reader and keeper of this place," he says
with a wry smile.

Says Alka Mathur, Godhuli's manager, "Health and interest are the two
key factors; it's up to the residents to use the library." She adds
that a large number of books have been donated by individuals. "We are
careful not to accept too many old books as they are difficult to
maintain," she says.

Perhaps opening the library to the general public or even local senior
citizens, for a nominal fee, would have ensured that people use it.
"But the library is meant for residents of this old age home, so that
they can read in privacy and peace. Opening the library for others
would also mean security and other related issues for Godhuli," adds
Mathur.

Jha, meanwhile, is happy spending time in this little library when he
is not surfing the Net for the latest medical news.
========

Dr P Vyasamoorthy, 30 Gruhalakshmi Colony Secunderabad 500015 Ph
040-27846631 / 9490804278.

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Pharma Industry : CDSCO is the culprit (State of Apathy in its extreme)

If you are interested in knowing how the pharma industry has been
taking us for a ride with the connivance of CDSCO, read this recent
Editorial from: Economic and Political Weekly. Other articles
circulated earlier spoke of pricing, costing, huge profits and
looting. This article talks of Govt allowing medicines to be produced
and sold without proper clinical trials or post marketing follow up in
the case of new drugs. Learn how drugs banned abroad are allowed in
India.
======================

State Apathy in Its Extreme

Vol - XLVII No. 24, June 16, 2012 Editorials


Drug regulation in India seems only to serve the interests of
industry; the citizen does not matter.

What does the union government do when a parliamentary committee,
after 18 months of painstaking investigation, reports that the Central
Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has been looking after the
interests of the pharmaceutical industry at the cost of the ordinary
consumer? And when the committee backs its indictment with detailed
case studies and offers recommendations? The government, of course,
appoints a committee to look into the parliamentary committee's
report!

The report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and
Family Welfare minces no words to describe the rot in the CDSCO. It
points out that "most of the ills besetting the system of drugs
regulation in India are mainly due to the skewed priorities and
perceptions of CDSCO. For decades together it has been according
primacy to the propagation and facilitation of the drugs industry, due
to which, unfortunately, the interest of the biggest stakeholder, i e,
the consumer has never been ensured." The sales turnover (domestic
plus export) of the India's pharmaceutical industry is estimated at
over Rs 1,00,000 crore a year. Ever since the patent regime was
modified in 2005, pharma multi­nationals have been jostling to expand
their footprint in India.

Even in a country accustomed to the knowledge that the citizen is the
least of the concerns of the State's many agencies, the parliamentary
committee's report is shocking. As it notes, medicines are the only
commodity where consumers cannot make informed choices. They depend
solely on three main actors: the drug regulators, the pharmaceutical
companies and the prescri­bing doctors. Therefore, the state's
responsibility to regulate the import, manufacture and sale of safe
and standard quality medicines should be "sacrosanct".

The parliamentary committee report is, however, replete with details
about what can only be described as criminal neglect. For example, 33
new drugs were approved between January 2008 and October 2010 without
clinical trials on Indian patients. Clinical trials help to identify
differences that can alter the metabolism, efficacy and safety of the
drug when taken by people of different ethnicities. There was no
"scientific" evidence to prove that these drugs are effective and safe
for Indian patients and no surveillance data on them was forthcoming.
However, the Drug Controller General of India can approve a drug
without clinical trials, in the "public interest". But the committee
noted that there is no explanation of what constitutes public interest
and none of the 33 drugs are meant for emergency treatments. The files
of three drugs thus approved had "disappeared" when the committee
asked for them. Again, out of randomly selected 42 drugs, the
committee found that 13 medicines banned in developed countries for
reasons of safety were being sold over the counter in India. It also
found that the "invisible hands of drug manufacturers" guided and
wrote the so-called expert opinion signed by medical professionals and
doctors (the annexures to the report carry photocopies of a number of
these opinions, some of them are identical!). There is no permanent
panel of medical experts attached to the CDSCO and individual doctors
and experts from prestigious medical institutions are asked to give
their opinions before the drugs are marketed. While the number of
applications for approvals has been growing rapidly, the CDSCO is
woefully understaffed to handle the approximately 20,000 applications
annually and myriad other tasks.

The report details numerous other problems in the approval. For
example, drugs not yet launched were already being sold in the market
and that too without any post-surveillance submissions. There is no
transparency in the selection of experts on the drugs advisory
committees. There is no mechanism for controlled post-marketing Phase
IV studies on patients which have helped developed countries to
identify major adverse effects and thus ban such drugs.

The committee has also noted that there are a number of allied issues
that have been neglected over the years. Among these are the severe
shortage of drug inspectors to visit the 10,500 manufacturing units
and 6,00,000 retail units and the machinery to enforce the Drugs and
Cosmetics Act and Rules in general. In the same budget session of
Parliament when the report was tabled, the government acted with
alacrity on the textbook cartoon complaint and the media too went to
town on the controversy. However, a report on such an important part
of medical care that deals with safe medicines for lakhs of people
received routine response from the government and cursory coverage by
the media.

The report has recommended that the mission statement of CDSCO be
formulated to convey in unambiguous terms that "the organisation is
solely meant for public health". The parliamentary committee's
findings should have galvanised the government into taking remedial
measures on a war footing and chalking out strategy for a complete
overhaul of the regulatory and approval process. The former should
include an immediate investigation into the cases of collusion between
CDSCO officials and certain pharma giants followed by swift punitive
action wherever necessary. There is no doubt that this report lists
the causes, symptoms and cure for the deep-rooted malady that afflicts
the CDSCO. If only it had prescribed a medicine for the state's apathy
towards the health of its citizens.
======
Dr P Vyasamoorthy, 30 Gruhalakshmi Colony Secunderabad 500015 Ph
040-27846631 / 9490804278.

Friday, June 22, 2012

MSc in Geriatric Care : Nagaland: Distance Education

M.Sc. in Geriatric Care

Objective : The two years Distance Learning Master of Science (M.Sc.)
in Geriatric Care conducted by The Global Open University, Nagaland
has been designed for meeting the demand of the growing needs of
experts in the fields of senior citizens care, gerontology, geriatric
psychology, geriatric nursing, geriatric counselling, geriatric
security, geriatric medicine, geriatric housing and geriatric
entertainment.

Eligibility : Graduates of any discipline Duration : Two years

Award : Master of Science with specialisation in Geriatric Care shall
be awarded to all the successful candidates by The Global Open
University, Nagaland. They will also be eligible for admission in the
M.Phil. and Ph.D. degree programmes in the relevant Schools and
Faculties at The Global Open University.
Subjects : First Year
Introduction to Geriatric Care
Practice of Gerontology
Geriatric Psychology
Geriatric Education and Counselling
Geriatric Sociology

.Subjects : Second Year
Geriatric Pharmacology
Fatal Diseases Care & Rehabilitation
Chronic Ailments and Aging
Geriatric Security and Nursing
H.R. & Social Security for the Aged

Examination Centres : Anand, Agartala, Aizawl, Allahabad, Ahmedabad,
Aurangabad, Agra, Alwar, Ajmer, Ambala, Amritsar, Arrah, Bareilly,
Bangalore, Baroda, Betul, Bathinda, Bhagalpur, Bhopal, Bhubaneshwar,
Bhilai, Bilaspur, Bokaro, Bulandshahr, Buxar, Calicut, Chandigarh,
Chandrapur, Chhindwara, Chennai, Dehradun, Delhi, Dimapur, Dewas,
Etawah, Fatehpur, Gandhi Nagar, Gangtok, Goa, Gorakhpur, Guna,
Gwalior, Guwahati, Haridwar, Hisar, Hanumangarh, Hyderabad, Hubli,
Imphal, Indore, Itanagar, Jammu, Jaipur, Jamshedpur, Jind, Jabalpur,
Jodhpur, Jhansi, Jhajjar, Ludhiana, Kaithal, Karnal, Kargil, Kohima,
Kashiram Nagar, Kolkata, Kollam, Kota, Korba, Kanpur, Kolar,
Kathmandu, Kolhapur, Khandwa, Lucknow, Mandi, Meerut, Mirzapur,
Mohindergarh, Mumbai, Muzaffarnagar, Muzaffarpur, Motihari, Nagpur,
Narwana, Nasik, Patiala, Panipat, Pathankot, Port Blair, Patna, Pune,
Ranchi, Raipur, Ratlam, Rewa, Rohtak, Roorkee, Rewari, Rishikesh,
Sagar, Samastipur, Shillong, Shimla, Sikar, Sonebhadra, Sri
Ganganagar, Srinagar, Sagar, Sirsa, Surat, Trivandum, Tikamgarh,
Udaipur, Udhampur, Varanasi, Wokha.

Total Fee : Rs. 18,125

Accordingly, the Application Form duly filled-in along with four stamp
size photographs, copies of certificates and mark sheets and a Bank
Draft in the name of "The Global Open University, Nagaland" payable at
Dimapur must reach the Director, The Global Open University, Nagaland,
Opp. Railway Station, Dimapur - 797112, Nagaland by registered / speed
post only.

Examination Fee : A fee of Rs. 150 per paper is to be paid before
appearing in the Annual Examinations.

Master's Thesis : To be submitted by all students before appearing in
the final M.Sc. examination.
========
http://nagaland.net.in/mageriatriccare.htm

Dr P Vyasamoorthy, 30 Gruhalakshmi Colony Secunderabad 500015 Ph
040-27846631 / 9490804278.

Judaism has least number of followers (12 million) in the world.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

More Generic Medicines shops in Hyderabad

Here is some happy news about Generations drugs for Hyderabad citizens.

Jeevanadahara Generic Medicines shop was inaugurated on 21st June in
AS Rao Nagar. During the inaugural function, besides some fifty
invitees, following participated: Prof V Visweswaraiah, Ms Mamata Bai,
Dr D Sree Mukesh, Sri V Nageswara Rao, Sri P Srinivasa Reddy & Sri Ch
Parameshwar Reddy. Prof Visweswaraiah spoke of a recent achievement of
APSCCON viz setting up of Lok Adalat for Senior Citizens. Ms Mamata
Bai assured that accommodation for opening Generic shops at very low
rents in Community halls owned by GHMC would be explored and she
wanted a letter from APSCCON to be given.
Dr Mukesh clarified that there is absolutely no difference in quality
or efficacy between costly branded drugs and generics sold by
Jeevanadhara, especially becuase the drugs are coming from very
reputed manufacturers. Sri Nageswara Rao explained why & how generic
drugs are sold at a cheaper price. Sri Srinivasa Reddy hoped that the
shop is used by neighborhood residents paving way for more such shops
to be opened. Sri Parameshwar Reddy spoke in general about APSCCON /
AP Govt success stories.

We now have such shops in: Osmania General Hospital, Gandhi Medical
Hospital, NIMS, AS RAo Nagar, Tarnaka. About 15-18 are in various
stages of establishment in AP.

=====

Dr P Vyasamoorthy, 30 Gruhalakshmi Colony Secunderabad 500015 Ph
040-27846631 / 9490804278.

Monday, June 18, 2012

Lok Adalat Bench for Elders in AndhraPradesh.

Here is a simple note on the Lok Adalat for Senior Citizens set up in Andhra Pradesh explaining its benefits. This is the first of its kind - permanent bench - in India.
Let us thank Prof Visweswaraiah, Vice President, All India Senior Citizens Confederation for this write-up.

=====================================================
                        Formation of Lok Adalat Bench for Elders in AndhraPradesh.

                       We heartily welcome the constitution of a Lok Adalat Bench for settlement of cases pertaining to senior citizens by AP State Legal Services Authority.This Bench constituted under section 19 of Legal Services Authority Act consist of Justice B.Subhashan Reddy , Chief Justice (retired) as Presiding Judge,retired High Court judges Justice S.V.Maruthi and Justice Motilal B.Naik as members.The Lok Adalat Bench will sit twice in a month at Hyderabad.The senior citizens can avail the services of this Bench for speedy justice and amicable settlement of their disputes.
                               In the word,'Lok Adalat' 'Lok' means people and 'Adalat' means court.So Lok Adalat stands for people's court. People's court was in vogue in ancient times in our country in the name of 'Panchayat' consisting of respected elders of villages.They used to resolve disputes among villagers and their verdict was final and it was accepted in good faith.This system has been successfully replicated as 'Lok Adalats' to suit modern times by Legal Services Authority of India.This alternate dispute resolution system has helped a lot to litigent public in getting justice.
                               Lok Adalats can deal with all civil cases,matrimonial disputes,land disputes,property disputes,labour disputes  and compoundable criminal cases.Cases that are pending in regular courts can be transferred to a Lok Adalat if both parties agree.Cases can also be transferred to LA if one party applies to the court and the court sees some chance of settlement after the other party has been given an opportunity of being heard.The focus in LA is on compromise between two parties and when no compromise is reached,the matter goes back to the court.However if compromise is reached,an award is made and is binding on the parties and it is enforced as a decree of a civil court.As the award is given with the consent of parties,it is final and cannot be appealed in any court.Lok Adalat can also take up fresh disputes for settlement.
                                As early in 2003.our State Government has prepared action of plan on National Policy on Older Persons.As per this plan,Law Department was asked to bring within the purview of Lok Adalat,all court cases involving older persons and other related issues for "Quick and out of turn" disposal of cases.Though late,we heartily welcome the formation of Lok Adalat  Bench exclusively for cases of senior citizens except the cases of service pension.Lok Adalat Bench for senior citizens is a boon to them where they can get their disputes settled at an expeditious manner and free of cost.They provide hassle free solution. 

================================================================




Saturday, June 16, 2012

Elder Abuse in Hyderabad - Lok Adalat - Tarnaka HelpAge Meeting

1 in 3 elders subjected to abuse

Children participate in a rally observing World Elder Abuse Awareness day at Tarnaka. — DC
Children participate in a rally observing World Elder Abuse Awareness day at Tarnaka. — DC


A nationwide survey by HelpAge India reveals that about 38 per cent of the elderly, residing in the city, don't receive proper care from their children. Some of them are thrown out of their houses and forced to live in old age homes run by charitable organisations.
On the occasion of the first UN International Day to Prevent Elder Abuse and the seventh World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, statistics show that one in every three senior citizens in Hyderabad is subjected to abuse and humiliation, shockingly by none other than their own children.

A few stay in paid old age homes. According to the survey, a higher number of elderly women than men are subjected to abuse. In most cases, the sons are the culprits, followed by the daughters-in-law.

The survey also reveals that while all the elders were verbally abused, substantial percentages reported being disrespected and neglected. "Psychological abuse has multiple impacts, which is more than physical and financial abuse," said one senior citizen.

According to Naveen Mittal, special commissioner, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, the problem of elder abuse was increasing due to "the loss of cohesiveness in families probably due to children migrating for employment; and increasing materialism in society," he said.

He said the GHMC had started a senior citizens' welfare programme, Aasara, and was also starting local committees to focus on major areas of improvement like health, legal awareness and entertainment.

Lok Adalat for senior citizens inaugurated

Justice Madan B. Lokur of the Supreme Court on Friday inaugurated the Lok Adalat bench for senior citizens on the occasion of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. Terming it the only Lok Adalat of its kind in the entire country, he said the state of Andhra Pradesh had shown the lead and determination to help senior citizens.

R.N. Mittal, president of the All India Senior Citizens' Confederation, said the Adalat would have a three-judge panel.

"This Adalat will be the first of its kind in the country, helping solve the many problems, particularly abuse, that elders suffer," he said. A brainchild of Justice Lokur and Justice B. Subhashan Reddy, former chairman of State Human Rights Commission, the Adalat will be presided over by the latter and it comprises former High Court judges Justice Motilal B. Naik and Justice S.V. Maruthi as members.

The bench will conduct its sitting twice a month to hear disputes of senior citizens, except pension matters as separate Lok Adalat is there for the purpose. Justice V. Eswaraiah, acting Chief Justice of AP HC, Odisha HC Chief Justice V. Gopala Gowda were among those present.

105-year-old among others felicitated

105-year-old retired IAS officer Narayana Chetty, who retired as commissioner, Endowments, and has been a pensioner for the last 45 years, 96-year-old Aga Reddy, father of Justice B. Subhashan Reddy, former chairman of State Human Rights Commission, and others were felicitated on the occasion of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.
=============
Dr P Vyasamoorthy, 30 Gruhalakshmi Colony Secunderabad 500015 Ph 040-27846631 / 9490804278. 


Fwd: [sss-global] RISE IN ABUSE OF ELDERS UNFORTUNATE - JUSTICE LOKUR

Rise in abuse of elders unfortunate: Justice Lokur
Lok adalat for Elders in Hyderabad inaugurated.
PTI | 10:06 PM,Jun 15,2012
Hyderabad, Jun 15 (PTI) Terming the rise in incidents of abuse of elders as unfortunate, Supreme Court judge Justice Madan B Lokur today stressed on the need to tackle the issue with seriousness. "Though there are a large number of incidents of the abuse of elders, society for one reason or the other seems to ignore them often due to circumstances because senior citizens are not able to report it," he said here today. He was speaking after inaugurating a first-of-its-kind Senior Citizens Lok Adalat Bench here. "The abuse of elders is not something new, but has been in existence for many years. We need to tackle this problem with all seriousness," he said. Referring to a report of Helpage India, Lokur said "Elders undergo some or the other kind of abuse, mainly from their children. It is sad that large number of elders in different cities are abused by persons within their families. Many of these cases go unreported due to the stigma attached to it that how can one go against his or her own family members!" "We do not know the magnitude of this problem...but it does not mean that these cases do not exist. It is important for us to realise and acknowledge that there is a problem and must go a step forward and find out a solution," he added. The World Elder Abuse Awareness Day is aimed at identifying the problem and also a solution to it, he said. Apart from helping in resolving the civil and criminal cases pertaining to senior citizens, the Senior Citizens Lok Adalat will have wide spectrum of duties and responsibilities, Lokur said. He added that the Lok Adalat could take up issues with the government and authorities, where senior citizens find problems in getting their work done. "We are looking at resolution of issues that senior citizens face. I hope Senior Citizens Lok Adalat will carry out its functions effectively and to the satisfaction of elders," he said.




Source:

http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/rise-in-abuse-of-elders-unfortunate-justice-lokur/1012488.html 

Sent by 

--
V.RAGHAVENDRA RAO

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Report on Release of HelpAge Survey on Elder Abuse 2012

Report on Release of HelpAge Survey on Elder Abuse 2012

Today HelpAge Hyderabad released their Report on National Survey on Elder Abuse 2012 in a function held on the eve of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on 14th June 2012 at Press Club, Hyderabad. Sri S Dass, Sri RN Mital, Dr Rao Chelikani, Dr CN Gopinath Reddy IPS  and Sri PC Sen IAS  and Sri Devaigna Sharma were on the dais.

Sri Dass welcomed the gathering. He requested press and media persons to publish salient points of the survey. Dr Rao Chelikani said that we should not wait for Governmental intervention only to tackle Elder Abuse problem. Remedy lies in civil society, NGOs, SCAs taking active part in creating awareness among public. Sri Sharma stressed the need to inculcate family values among children. Sri RN Mital spoke Legalized Elder Abuse - viz Elders being harassed under Domestic Vilolence Act and section IPC 498A by daughters in law  by falsely implicating  senior citizens (parents in law) in dowry harassment cases. He said that we should take it up with appropriate authorities to amend the laws suitably.
Sri PC Sen also emphasized that we should not depend on government alone; We should explore employing elders gainfully in areas like healthcare, Self Help Groups, Adjudication etc. Sri Gopinath Reddy stressed we should try to bring back joint family system.

An executive summary of the findings was circulated. A CD containing the full report plus additional info on AP / Hyderabad were also distributed. 
A large banner saying "I Shall not Tolerate Elder Abuse" was signed by a large number of participants, signifying a pledge by individuals.
 
Some points that attracted my attention are:


1. Primary abuser is son (56%) and next is DIL (23%)
2. More than 50% victims experienced abuse for more than four years
3. Among solutions, more than 62% feel sensitization of children will help; only 33% felt economic independence will help.
4. Delhi NCR witnessed increased incidence of Elder abuse - 12% victims increased to 30% victims
5. Bhopal is the worst: 77.12% elders face abuse




This excellent report by HelpAge must be studied in depth by SCAs, NGOS, Government and of course senior citizens and public. WE have many lessons to learn and apply.


Dr P Vyasamoorthy, 30 Gruhalakshmi Colony Secunderabad 500015 Ph 040-27846631 / 9490804278. 

Judaism has least number of followers (12 million) in the world.


Monday, June 11, 2012

NAGPUR MAN AIMS TO UNITE LONELY ELDERS (live in relationship)

I like this article as it talks of live - in relationship in correct perspective.
====================================================

Nagpur man aims to unite lonely elders


Advocating the need for companionship in the autumn of life, a Nagpur octogenarian has taken up the task of mooting live-in relationships for senior citizens who are leading a lonely life after outliving their spouses.

"The relationship might not be sexual only. They can live together as friends or define their own relationship," Arvind Godbole, 81, who is spearheading the initiative, said.

Godbole is working under the aegis of Jayeshthanche Live-In Relationship Sanyojak Mandal, formed by the Geeta Godbole Smriti Trust named after his daughter.

He said he got inspired by a book written by Dada Dharmadhikari, an Indian freedom fighter and philosopher.

"Fondly known as Acharya Dada Dharmadhikari, he was one of the strongest adherents of Mahatma Gandhi's principles. In his book 'Purush aur Stree Sahajeevan' Dada quoted Gandhiji as saying that a woman has many 'roopas'. She can be a sister, a mother, an aunt, a friend and so on," Godbole said.

"What we need to realise is that a woman can shower her affection in any form of a relationship. It does not have to be sexual. When we understand this, we will be free from the shackles of backward and narrow-minded mindsets," he added.

Godbole said that the book inspired him to bring together lonely senior citizens. The recent Supreme Court verdict making live-in relationships legal encouraged Godbole to take the initiative forward.

The mandal is now on the verge of laying down rules for membership and soon a drive would be formally launched to enrol interested elders.

"Once that is done, we will be open to registering members. A general member can be anyone over the age of 55 years -- single, married or widowed. We will then call them for a general meeting next month and discuss the format of the mandal and put it up for approval," Godbole said.

The octogenarian said that the mandal currently had 15 core committee members and that the committee was a part of the Geeta Godbole Smriti Trust.

"As of now we are a sub-committee of the trust. Later, we might apply for a separate entity," he said.

"Once the members agree upon a format, we will be organising several workshops and programmes for senior citizens," he added.

Godbole, however, conceded that the initiative might be much more difficult to take forward. "While it sounds like a wonderful idea at first instance, we also cannot ignore the fact that elders are set in their ways and their ideas. If we bring together a hundred people, chances are that only two of them would be compatible," he said.

"But companionship is only one part of it. We would also look forward to sponsoring hostels where seniors could pay and stay in the comfort and company of others," he added.

Godbole said that youngsters could also register as volunteers. "From all the general members, those who are left alone in society will be registered as beneficiaries. Our aim is that these beneficiaries be benefited from the mandal."

The former Bank of India officer said that once the members were registered, the mandal would help them with a memorandum of understanding (MoU).

"The agreement of the MoU will be signed by both the beneficiaries who plan to stay together. We are also thinking about deciding an amount of compensation for women who might get cheated in this case. But this is just a preventive measure," he said.

Godbole said that the core committee may arrive at a decision that the legal or biological heirs of the elders give a clearance to their proposed live-in relationship.

According to 61-year-old Nandini Pimplapure, a committee member of the Mandal, "This is an age of nuclear families. Moreover, when your children grow up and start working or go abroad for work, parents are left alone. It becomes even more difficult to tackle loneliness if your spouse dies".

Pimplapure, a retired school principal, says that a live-in relationship is often misunderstood.

"By taking this initiative, we are trying to remove the tabboo that surrounds a live-in relationship. I never married due to my dedication to work. Today I stay with my 92-year-old mother and take care of her. This is a live-in relationship of sorts," she said.

Pimplapure said that instead of misinterpreting the phrase people should look at it in a broader sense.

"At the evening of your life, you look for moral support and companionship. Our organisation will work towards this. Two women or two men or even a group of oldies can live-in and be good friends," she said.


============

From sss-global contributed by Sri VRV Rao

Lassitude - a leaf from my diary 8th June 2012

A state of lassitude and lethargy is overpowering me.
No interest in doing anything - abhorring activity of all sorts
has become the norm for the past couple of weeks;
I am feeling weak in body, mind, spirit and soul.

Am I depressed? where is the origin of this negativity?
However much I pull myself up with self assuring pep talks
I seem to slip into unfathomable abyss, dark and void
Where nothing matters and nothing enthuses.

Shaving is a chore. Stinking socks are fine.
No appetite and nothing excites
I want to sleep and slip away -
away from all reality - do I know what reality IS ?!

I have suffered from short bouts of depression earlier
and but bounced back as if I was blessed with some built-in spring 
I am afraid I am on the side of decline, steep decline
And may not re-gain original state of consciousness.






Dr P Vyasamoorthy, 30 Gruhalakshmi Colony Secunderabad 500015 Ph 040-27846631 / 9490804278. 

1 + 1 = 3

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Scheduling and Tracking delivery of messages in Gmail

Gmail does not allow you to schedule delivery of Email messages and send it out at a time you want. Nor does it help you find out if it was opened after delivery. There is an extension application called Right Inbox available for free download from http://www.rightinbox.com/

Once you download and install this Right Inbox tool your compose message Window has two more buttons. One called Schedule and another called Track. Schedule permits you to specify a date and time for dispatch. Track helps you know when the message has been opened; You will also know, if there is a hyperlink inside your message, if that was clicked. Tracking tells when, where (city & country) and from which IP address it was accessed. It is almost a spy!. A link to Map showing the place of opening  the message is also available.

This is a very useful application. May be used in critical messages where you want to ensure delivery and acknowledgement. Some bosses bluff  that they have not yet seen your mail or lie that there were on a tour etc. You can not of course show the acknowledgement / tracking message and annoy him further!
The free version has all the facilities  and features but you can only schedule and track up to ten messages per month. Purchased versions are more liberal.

While scheduling I have noticed a small problem. If you set the country standard for time (say: IST = GMT +5.50 hrs) from within the schedule window there could be some problem. Time standard is best set at Chrome level.  When a message is scheduled to be sent at say 17:30 the time stamp of the message is set to 17:30 but actual delivery may be later depending upon queue and traffic flow.

I do not know why Gmail was shy of providing this facility despite many users asking for it.

MWPSCA - Tamilnadu - HC decision

Here is an interesting case where the HC, TN upheld RDO's order,
though it is outside of the Act. As I have many times pointed out,
Police and Dept Soc Welfare officials in TN come to the rescue of
senior citizens beyond the provisions in the ACT. Another such
incident has been reported recently in Ahmadabad.


=========================
RDO order against Rogue son upheld.

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has upheld an order of the Revenue
Divisional Officer (RDO), Pochampalli taluk in Krishnagiri district,
dispossessing a son of his father's property.� J Anbalagan, allegedly
ill-treated his father Jagadeesan, slapped him and also threatened to
kill him. The RDO passed the order on May 23 last year, after
Jagadeesan invoked Sec. 5(1) and (2) of the Maintenance and Welfare of
Parents and Senior Citizens Act 2007 to retrieve his properties from
his son.
Following a family dispute, Anbalagan allegedly slapped his father
while the latter was working in his farm. He was rescued by people
working in the nearby fields.
The RDO had also directed Anbalagan to vacate the family house and
restrained him from interfering with his father's peaceful possession
and enjoyment of the property in his lifetime. In case of failure to
comply with the condition, Anbalagan would have to pay a fine of
`10,000, besides undergoing three months' imprisonment, the RDO had
warned.
Aggrieved, Anbalagan moved the High Court to quash the RDO order. He
contended that, at best, the RDO could only order compensation but
could not order his eviction.
Justice K Chandru, before whom the petition came up for hearing
recently, upheld the earlier order by RDO after holding that there was
no infirmity in the detailed order.
Noting that Anbalagan had not exhausted the appeal provision in the
Act, the judge said that on that sole ground itself the petition was
liable to be dismissed.
=====
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/rdo-order-against-rogue-son-upheld/257956-60-118.html




Dr P Vyasamoorthy, 30 Gruhalakshmi Colony Secunderabad 500015 Ph
040-27846631 / 9490804278.

1 + 1 = 3

MWPSCA - Indore - Lethargy of officials

Three years of misplaced hopes, as scores of complain lay pending

Source: DNA | Last Updated 05:38(07/06/12)

Indore: Nonagenarian Jogilal of Biccholi Mardana is among the 60-odd
parents who saw a ray of hope in the maintenance and welfare of
parents and senior citizens act. They believed the act, which is meant
to save them from harassment by their own children, would help them
regain a dignified life. Their belief has proved misplaced.

Jogilal had complained on July 14, 2009 of harassment by his children.
He was 90 then. Nobody, much less the administrative officers whom he
had approached, knows what happened to Jogilal since then.

Though the case is still in the court of sub divisional officer,
Indore, his whereabouts could not be traced. The lot of other
complainants, total 60, is no better either.

"These senior citizens come at public hearings. We take cognizance and
forward the complaints to the concerned SDMs. But same old men or
women are seen in next public hearing because nothing happens. After
two or three attempts they give up ," joint director, social justice
department, Premlata Vajpayee, said.

Abdul Aziz, 70, a resident of Chandan Nagar area, made his first
complaint at the collector's public hearing on May 17, 2012. His
complaint was forwarded to SDO and that was all about it. The decrepit
septuagenarian came to the next public hearing on May 24. Again his
matter was forwarded.

Aziz has complained that he and his wife are beaten up by his son
Abdul Wahid and daughter- in- law. SDO, Indore, Vivek Shotria admitted
that there is delay because committees are to be formed at lower level
for resolving these cases but as they have not been formed.

He, however, claimed that only five such complaints are pending at his
court. "The social justice department forwards even those cases which
are related to police and we forward them to the police", the SDM
said. The social justice department, which monitors these cases, says
65 cases were forwarded to SDO Indore. Out of these, five were
resolved and 16 were forwarded to police for redressal.
==========
Dr P Vyasamoorthy, 30 Gruhalakshmi Colony Secunderabad 500015 Ph
040-27846631 / 9490804278.

1 + 1 = 3

Friday, June 8, 2012

I am alone and lonely

Anyone to relate to this poem?
=======================================
I am not all that strong that I appear to be
I am crumbling under unknown pressure you can't see
I advise everyone, never ever to bother or worry
But my mind is a swarming cloud of clueless chaos

I tell others to beat loneliness of old age
by loving oneself and by learning some engaging arts;
But deep inside I am very lonely and sad
Everything I need, I have, but nothing has me

I am a mysterious enigmatic animal unto myself
Groping always to find out what I really want
Sense of separation, sense of incompleteness
Sense of never getting there nor anywhere at all

Like a sinking man in a river who does not know to swim,
I am groping for some straw, weed or loosely hanging creeper;
Nothing passes by my side and I am gasping and growling --
In utter despair, not knowing which way to turn or whom to seek!

I am alone and unconnected, alone and unconnected
How long will this last, I do not know
Where are you, my Sadhguru, who promised to be
with me wherever and whenever I need you to be?

===============================================



Dr P Vyasamoorthy, 30 Gruhalakshmi Colony Secunderabad 500015 Ph
040-27846631 / 9490804278.

What does this mean to you? 1 + 1 = 3

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

SPECIAL LOK ADALAT BENCH FOR SENIOR CITIZENS IN HYDERABAD

Here is some good news for Senior Citizens of AP. Representatives from
APSCCON, AISCCON and AOSC-H were involved in this suggestion to set
up a special Lok Adalat Bench exclusively for senior citizens. Justice
Subhashan Reddy is a well known Pro-Seniors person. Earlier, as SHRC
head, he did a lot of good to elderly population. He is also the
Chairman of a special committee set up by AISCCON for promoting and
creating awareness about MWPSCA. I thank Sri VRV Rao for spotting
this much awaited news....Vyasamoorthy

===================

Special Lok Adalat Bench for senior citizens in Hyderabad

PTI | 10:06 PM,Jun 04,2012

Hyderabad, June 4(PTI)The Andhra Pradesh State Legal Services
Authority today constituted a Lok Adalat Bench exclusively for
settlement of cases pertaining to senior citizens. District and
Sessions Judge and Member Secretary of the Authority S Ravi Kumar said
the Lok Adalat Bench formed under Section 19 of Legal Services
Authorities Act would consist of Justice B Subhashan Reddy, Chief
Justice (retired) as Presiding Judge, retired High Court Judges
including Justice S V Maruthi and Justice Motilal B Naik as members.
The Member Secretary further said that the Lok Adalat Bench will sit
in the premises of AP State Legal Services Authority at Nyaya Seva
Sadan in City Civil Court Complex in Purani Haveli, twice in a month.
The dates of the sitting will be notified shortly and senior citizens
would be asked to avail the services of the Lok Adalat Bench for
speedy justice and amicable settlement of their cases, according to a
release.


Source:
http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/special-lok-adalat-bench-for-senior-citizens-in-hyderabad/1007595.html


--
V.RAGHAVENDRA RAO,
20, DESCANSO, APRT 1321,
SAN  JOSE,
CALIFORNIA - 95134. USA.
518-261-7075

Saturday, June 2, 2012

IRDA - Landmark draft Health Insurance Regulations

Given below is an article from Moneylife in full. I thank sri KV Cary for alerting me on this. Comments are welcome. Vyasamoorthy
==========================================

IRDA comes up with landmark draft health insurance regulations
May 31, 2012 07:14 PM 
Raj Pradhan

IRDA has come up with momentous regulations which will change the health insurance industry workings if the draft is implemented without watering it down. TPAs' role will get marginalized and hence they may try to scuttle the implementation in its current form

Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) has finally issued draft health insurance regulations addressing several areas of concern which were raised in a public interest litigation (PIL) by social activist Gaurang Damani. The draft covers product design, renewability, portability, file and use procedures, protection of policyholders' interest, servicing ofhealth insurance policythird party administrators (TPA), contract between insurer and hospitals and so on.

According to Mr Damani, "They have accepted 80%-90% of what I had demanded in the court. A few minor things remain, some of which are already there in their other circulars, but just need to be added to the policy document. I would mention the same in the next court hearing. One point that is missing in the draft guidelines is need for a doctor's signature in case of claims denial."

The important points in IRDA guidelines are related to following:

  • Entry and exit age - All health insurance policies shall provide for entry age at least up to 65 years. All health insurance policies shall not have an exit age for renewal of the policies, once the proposal is accepted, provided the policy is continuously renewed without a break.
  • Cumulative bonus to be mentioned in the policy document
  • Mediclaim denial grounds to be given in writing
  • Reward a favourable claim ratio
  • Refund on pre-insurance med check-ups - A proposal resulting into a policy shall reimburse at least 50% of the medical exam cost.
  • Separate grievance cell for senior citizens
  • Increase in premium must be in writing and must be justified
  • Claims independent of multiple fixed benefit policies - The insurer shall make the claim payments independent of payments received under other similar polices.
  • If two or more policies are taken by  an insured during a period from one or  more  insurers,  where the  purpose  of  such  policies  is  to  indemnify  the  treatment costs, the insurer shall not apply the contribution clause but the  policyholder shall have an option to chose insurer with whom the claim is to  be settled. In all such cases, the insurer shall be obliged to settle the claim without insisting for contribution clause.
  • Insurers  may  provide  coverage  to  non-allopathic  treatments  provided  the treatment has been undergone in a government hospital or in any institute recognized  by  the government.
  • Any  product  that  is  being  offered  in  the  market  by  insurance  companies shall not be allowed to be withdrawn  in respect of the existing customers of  the  product,  unless,  the  existing  customers  are  given  an  option  to switch to a similar product under specific written consent.
  • Uncomplicated one page customer information sheet to cover key benefits, exclusions and grievance mechanisms.
  • Renewal cannot be denied randomly
  • Waiting period for pre-existing diseases (PED) be clearly specified
  • Claim settlement within 30 days
  • Insurer to make direct payment to the hospital and policyholder (not through TPA). Cheques will have to be written by the insurance company and send to hospital (for cashless) and policyholder (for reimbursement). It means that cheques cannot be held by TPAs as a float.
  • ID card to have logo of the insurance company. In  case  the  policy  is  renewed,  provisions  to  be  established  by the  insurer  to  ensure  there  shall  not  be  any  need  for  re-issue  of  fresh cards provided there is no change in the details of the policyholder. It means auto-renewal of same ID cards.
  • Agreement between the TPA and insurance company to be registered with IRDA
  • Seamless transfer of policies services by an existing TPA to the new TPA
  • Claim settlement - Specific ground of settlement and denial of claim must be mentioned
  • All insurers shall have an agreement directly with the hospitals to establish the list of network providers. The insurer  shall  be  responsible  for  carrying  out  an empanelment  process  of  hospitals  or  health  care  providers  to  provide  cashless facility to the policyholder. The TPA role is effectively 
====
Source:

Complete draft may be downloaded from IRDA site at: