Problems of Senior Citizens in Rural areas

Following is an extract of an Email dated 26th November 2009 from Sri
Sugan Bhatia

Dear Mital Sahib and friends,

The challenges faced by senior citizens in rural areas are beginning
to receive considerable attention, particularly at the level of access
to services including healthcare through Mobile Medical Units, through
Village-, Mandal- and Zilla-level Aarogya Samitis courtesy the
National Rural Health Mission. The Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana and
its State level incarnations continue to underscore the need for
State-level support to health care insurance for the entire family
including the senior citizens. The Senior Citizens' pension programmes
are fairly active in the rural areas courtesy joint funding by both
the Centre and the State. Markets and Railway Stations continue to be
the main recreation centres for the senior citizens.

What is probably missing, despite a great deal of welfare action by
both the Central and State governments, is a culture of rights within
which we need to reflect on the challenges faced by the senior
citizens in the rural areas. Governance systems are gradually diluting
the entire gamut of citizens' rights that can be subsumed under the
larger umbrella of Right to Life with Dignity; the open market economy
and the immense "love" that the Governments seem to have with the
phrase and all that it stands for are helping governance systems to
usher in public-private partnership diluting in the process the
citizen's right to ask the State to provide for his/her right to life
with dignity. Governance systems appear to be "auctioning" every
"citizens' rights structure and facility" (e.g. sub-centre, Primary
Health Centre, school, hospital, etc.) to public private partnership
minimizing in the process its own obligations to the fulfillment of
citizens' rights that were earlier articulated through the concept of
Basic Minimum Needs.

The Private Sector Age Care Industry is out to spread consumerism at
heavy costs to the rural population by "coercive persuasion through
organized lobbies" asking the State to provide it support in the form
of "viability gap funding" and "affordability gap funding" for
location and provision of basic minimum needs.

Do give a thought during your discussions, if you find my blabbering meaningful.

With best wishes.

Sugan Bhatia
98112 25103
==================

________________________________
Date: Thu, 26 Nov 2009 23:48:46 +0530
Subject: Seminar
From: apsccon@gmail.com
To: dnchapke@yahoo.com; jpvenkateswarlu@yahoo.com;
kamuhatti@gmail.com; ksrsl@yahoo.com; pvgk40@hotmail.com;
rao_solar@yahoo.com; drspkinj@gmail.com; rvreddy393@bsnl.in;
viswam_1932@yahoo.com; vyasamoorthy@gmail.com;
scbhatia_delhi@hotmail.com; telikicherla1936@yahoo.co.in;
narasimhan_venkataraman@yahoo.co.in;
venkatasubbarao.telikicherla@gmail.com; ykmoorthy@gmail.com;
myechury@yahoo.com; cheyuta@gmail.com

Dear friends,

APSCCON is organising a Seminar on December 27, 2009 to discuss and
highlight two very important subjects,namely

     1] Problems and Concerns of Senior Citizens in Rural Areas and Slums
     2] Right to Affordable Health Care of Senior Citizens
[particularly of APL category]

The first is a very important subject but is generally ignored.  The
importance of the second can not be over emphasised.
Therefore, this Seminar needs your active participation and support.

It will be held in the auditorium of Sweekar Upkar, Picket,
Secundrabad from 2.00PM to 6.30PM on Sunday, the December 27, 2009

Our Hon'ble Chief Minister, Sri K. Rosaiah is expected to inaugurate it

Senior Gerontologists namely Prof. P.V.Ramamurty and Dr. D. Jamuna
have kindly consented to participate. In addition eminent Seniors
from other parts of the State and from outside are also expected to
attend.

Blazing Twilight will print on this occasion a Souvenir issue. You are
invited to  contribute articles and pictures  for printing in the
Souvenir They can be sent to Dr. P. Vyasamurthy, Co-Editor, or me or
directly to Dr. T.V.S. Rao, Mg. Editor, positively by December 7,
2009. The address of Dr. TVS Rao is,
                                "Mandakini", 9-29-9, Balajinagar,
Sripuram, Visakhapatnam [Tel:9866085363,
E.Mail<venkatasubbarao.telikicherla@gmail.com>, ]

The articles can be in English or Telugu.

You are also requested to arrange  advertisements to be published in
the above Issue. The tariff is given in the attached Appeal

The registration fee is Rs.100/- per delegate.

Further details will be announced shortly.

Warm regards,
R.N.Mital
8-2-333/14a, Road No 3,
Banjara Hills,
Hyderabad 500034

________________________________
New Windows 7: Find the right PC for you. Learn more.

Thieves cheat elderly posing as policemen (Pune)

PUNE: Four citizens were robbed of their gold ornaments worth Rs 1.15
lakh in separate incidents in the city on Sunday morning. The
suspects,

Posing as policemen, managed to flee with the jewellery.

The first incident took place at Kothrud around 7.15 am, when
63-year-old Usha Anil Gokhale of Erandwane was on her way home after
her morning walk. Three men on a motorcycle stopped near her. One of
them told her that they were policemen and had come to the
neighbourhood to enquire about a murder. He asked her to remove her
gold ornaments for safety. The men then fled with the jewellery, worth
Rs 35,000.

Around 8 am, 80-year-old Narayan Ganesh Paranjape of Karvenagar also
fell prey to thieves using the same modus operandi. The suspects fled
with Paranjape's gold ring worth Rs 7,000. The incident took place
near Mhatre bridge.

Both cases were registered with the Kothrud police who admitted they
were not sure whether the same people were involved in the incidents.
Sub-inspector U S Patil is investigating the matter.

The third incident took place around 9.15 am on Sus road in Pashan.
Two persons came up to Mamkaur L P Ram (52) of Maurya Residency,
Pashan, and told her that the police were doing some checking up at
the next chowk. They asked her to remove her gold ornaments or else
she would have to pay a fine. The suspects got her to remove her gold
chain worth Rs 25,000 and on the pretext of keeping it in her purse,
fled with it. Sub-inspector P B Jawale of the Chatushrungi police
station is investigating this case.

A similar incident took place at Pimple Gurav around 9.45 am. Anita A
S (50) was walking home when two suspects, posing as policemen, stole
her gold chain worth Rs 48,000 after asking her to take it off.
Sub-inspector D B Koli of Sangvi police station is investigating the
case.

The crime branch is also conducting a parallel investigation as such
incidents are on the rise.

So far this year, around 35 such incidents have been reported in the
city. Investigations also reveal that the suspects usually target
senior citizens on their morning walk. The crime branch of Pune has
appealed to senior citizens to remain alert.

Speaking to TOI assistant commissioner of police (crime) Sangramsinh
Nishandar said, "We are planning to lay traps to nab the suspects.
Unit-1 and the anti-robbery unit of the crime branch are working on
it. Moreover, we have appealed to citizens to immediately contact the
nearest police station or the crime branch should such an incident
occur. We have also appealed to them to note down the number of the
two-wheelers used by the suspects and inform the police. The crime
branch can be contacted on 020-26121685 and 26208295."

===========
URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/Posing-as-policemen-these-thieves-target-senior-citizens/articleshow/5262382.cms

An insurance for old age - Ashvasan Bangalore

Catchy misleading title. But worth reading and knowing about Ashvasan, Bangalore
=================================
An insurance for old age
Arpita Misra , TNN 16 November 2009, 05:41am IST
|
She waits eagerly for this one day of the month when she can spend
quality time in the company of like-minded and like-aged people,
sharing one another's experience -- and soaking in a sense of
assurance that there are many more like her.

For 74-year-old Meera Kamath, just to dress up for the occasion gives
her impetus enough to look forward to meeting fellow members of
Ashvasan Foundation.

In today's changing socio-economic set-up, it's often the elderly who
find themselves cornered, braving the pangs of loneliness and craving
for a sense of belonging. And it's for people like them that Ashvasan
Foundation ushers in a sense of inclusion, boosting their self-esteem
and enhancing their dignity.

Established in 1993, the Foundation has eight recreation centres
across the city with over 1,000 members. Each centre organizes
get-togethers once a month, where senior citizens of a particular area
can meet and spend quality time together, relaxing, playing indoor
games, listening to music and participating in various activities.

Informative talk sessions are organized on topics such as coping with
loneliness, fear of being old, social and psychological health and
other relevant issues.

A brainchild of Lalita Shivaram Ubhayaker, the foundation has grown
brick-by-brick over the past 16 years. "I spent a lot of time with my
mother during the twilight of her life and her subsequent death left a
vacuum in my existence. I was aware of what ageing could do to a
person and that's when I decided I should work for the welfare of this
section of society. Ashvasan was one of its kind at the time of
inception. All our projects have been pilots as we had no set model to
emulate," says 80-year-old Lalita.

The services of Ashvasan have touched many lives in the city and its
fringes as their other initiatives involve feeding senior citizens
across five slums every day, training the financially deprived in
income-generating activities such as making paper and cloth bags, and
organizing regular health camps at subsidized rates. The Foundation
also organizes an annual seminar encompassing topics of health,
finance, physical security and spiritual well-being of the greying
crowd.

"Everyone is welcome to be a part of Ashvasan. We believe in 'smile
and make others smile' policy," explains 79-year-old R Sriram, a life
member of the Foundation. "Such set-ups are rare but much-needed
today," adds Meera, who's a member of Ashvasan for 10 years now.

The journey over the years has encountered ample rough weather, with
fund crunch being a constant impediment. "I'm always in look-out for
more volunteers. Though there's little glamour in being part of such
an initiative, I want more youths to participate," adds Lalita.

As the name suggests, Ahsvasan provides the much-needed assurance and
mental cushioning to stride through various phases of ageing, a
natural phenomenon often curtained in the humdrum of materialistic
pursuits.

Ashvasan Foundation

Nanda-Deep, 15/3, Palace Road

Bangalore-560052

Phone No. 2258091

www.ashvasan.org
=============

URL:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/An-insurance-for-old-age/articleshow/5233444.cms
============

How to prevent and handle Email ID / password thefts?

Some unscrupulous guys could gain access to your Email ID and password and later put it to misuse or abuse causing you a lot of monetary loss or embarrassments. We also need to know how stolen password may be used. We need to learn ways of preventing password thefts.

How do cyber crime thieves get at this sensitive info?

You may carelessly leave it in your wallet, or note in some text file on your disk. You might have noted down such IDs and passwords in some diary and this may lie unguarded in your house. You may read it aloud over mobile to your son / daughter or trusted friend asking him access your own mail account for some urgent message.The guy who overhears will be clever enough to jot it down, especially those who manage Paid Phone booths. You may transmit it via email to some friend.

You might be using your Email in a public PC say a cyber cafe. The PC in the cybercafe may be installed with a simple program called "key board logger". This program will capture everything that you type and what comes to be displayed by any program running on your PC and store it in a secret hidden file. Analyzing the contents of such a hidden file, immediately after you leave, will reveal your userid and passwords easily.

You may be signing up in a number of social networks, websites etc asking for UserID & password. These are sent back to you for verification via Email. Email messages are kept on your hard disk in text or other retrievable manner, if you are using outlook, Pico, Thunderbird etc as mail client. Scrutinizing such files will yield a good number of your passwords. Thereafter hacking your password for Email becomes much simpler.

Many social networking sites ask for your Yahoo / Hotmail / Gmail UserId & password to be entered. Their idea is to help you automatically invite all your contacts to become your friends on that network. Many times the system may show you all your contacts and ask you you to choose whom you would like to invite. Facebook, Sulekha, Rediff are some examples. There is no guarantee that both a) your email Id and password and b) the contacts lists that are downloaded and displayed are nor intercepted and misuse it. It is very easy for robots to be snooping around social network vicinity and capture unauthorized data.

Recently I allowed Sulekha to access and upload all my blog posts from my Blogger (Google) account, little realizing that the same password is used for gaining access to all Google services including Gmail. Uploaded blog posts appeared on Sulkha site for a few hours but later disappeared totally. When I realized some damage is being done, I quickly changed all my passwords.

How do people put stolen password to misuse?

Once a thief gets your password it is very easy to cheat or impersonate you. Orders for products and services may be placed online or via email with delivery to his own address under COD / VPP basis. He might send fake email requests for urgent help to your friend via some Yahoo or Google Group in which you are a member. One such message usually says that you are out of the country, you wallet is stolen, you are stranded in some hotel and that you need some money urgently to be transferred to you c/o hotel manger. This is bogus and fake.

Some tips to prevent the situation:

1. Never leave your password unguarded anywhere in diaries, slips, purses etc. 2. Never say it out aloud over phone. If you must, change it immediately as soon as your work is over. 3. Never store your passwords in your hard disk that may be accessed by others. 4. Be wary of all usages in cyber cafes. Delete history, temp internet files etc after your use. 5. Be careful about what you store in your pen drives - especially email message copies in text format. 6. Have a password for important applications quite different from those you sign up in many "altu faltu" sites. Make the passwords very difficult to break or even guess.

How to choose a good password - A suggestion

I wish to suggest a simple solution to assign passwords and also remember them. I suggest that you write out a longish proverb or quotation in your vernacular language, transliterate it into English.

For example, read the following tongue twister transliterated from Tamil: KadalOrathileOrural, uruludhu peraludhu (means: A stone mortar on the sea shore is rolling and re-rolling). From the transliterated phrase choose, say, any nine characters in sequence. Supposing you choose nine letters starting from sixth character (6,9) you will get: "OrathileO" This is your password. Just remember the phrase and 69 to recollect the correct password. The password is not easy to guess. It is a mixture of lower and uppercase. Does not resemble any known dictionary word. The phrase itself is some that you normally cherish to remember. You may change the password easily any number of times from the same phrase choosing some other sequence of characters.

Hope you have a trouble free Internet interactions with no password compromise at any time.

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

Respect for Senior Citizens

I was somewhat surprised to see so much of positive feelings from
younsters about senior citizens.

I read this in:

http://www.indiastudychannel.com/forum/23703-Respect-towards-senior-citizen.aspx

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

Q) Do we really pay respect to senior citizens?

A) Responses

Author: Nandini Tewary    11 Jan 2009Member Level: GoldRating:     Points: 4
In true sense the answer is no. We have no special feeling for them. W
dont take any specal care or attitude when we are travelling, standng
on queue for collecting things essensial for our day to day
life.Though government declare & are giving facilities to them in
different area like bank interest,railway ticket as a token of respect
but still we the younger generation not eve bothered about their age.
We still fight if someone favor a senior citizen. But actually they
need special care not even home also outside home where they face lot
of traoubles daly. Isn't it our duty to make them comfortable & help
them with respect.

Author: sachin.a.sahae    11 Jan 2009Member Level: SilverRating:     Points: 4
You are so right here Nandini. We are so worked up and rushed up in
our modern lives that we had taken up the attitude to completely
ignore the emotional needs of the senior citizens. We had lost the
etiquette of showing courtesy towards our senior citizens in homes and
outside. How bad it is, could be a matter of debate but it is so true
that senior citizens in our country are a significantly neglected lot.
Lot of initiative needs to be taken up by the governments the society
and the younger generations in order to improve the lives of them.
Serious steps are required to make things nice and easy for our elders
who had toiled hard for the families and the society in there young
days.

Author: sivakumar    19 Feb 2009Member Level: GoldRating:     Points: 6
hi,
this is an important matter to discuss at this time. How are the
senior people treated now a days. In rural ares, some how they get
respect and care. But this is not the case in cities. In cities,
senior citizens should enjoy some privileges, such as special seats on
buses, reduced fares for entertainment and traveling, and other
benefits. We should do everything to solve their practical problems,
to warm their hearts, and to make them happy. Also there must be
servants appointed to take care of them. In addition, we should find
some ways to provide affordable medical health care, which is of vital
importance to them. Besides, there should be recreation halls and
care- centers for the aged. Most important of all, the state should
ensure a decent pension for them, peasants in particular.
Step2In the vast countryside, most aged people are financially
supported by their sons, whose life is a perpetual struggle against
poverty. There are different cases also. What can they do if they are
childless? In my opinion, the government or the society should give
their help ,warmth and regards, make them feel that they are also
enjoying their life all the same. In other words, we should supply
more welfare to these seniors. They are also a part of the society.
Senior citizens, parents in particular, need our love and deserve the
best care. It is our duty to take care of them. Respecting senior
citizens bears vital importance to the family - planning policy in
China. If we do our best to honor our parents and the aged, our
children will follow our example, which seems to be much better for
younger generations.

thanks,
siva.

Click here to join the Exclusive engineers community

Author: vyshnavi.C.M    19 Feb 2009Member Level: SilverRating:     Points: 2
If we had given respect to senior citizens we won't find so many old
aged homes. Today we never spend a minute to think of them. They are a
treasure to our society. When the citizens of a country give proper
respect and courtesy to senior citizens we can take the nation to
greater heights

Author: sathish chandrasekaran    19 Feb 2009Member Level: GoldRating:
    Points: 5
Hi
Thanks for bringing this issue on light. The one who is declared as
treasure to the nation are not really treasured as they should be.
Some politicians use them as a device to their next election. They
simply praised in front but stabbed at the back.

In this modern India i think most of the awards and rewards are not
won but bought. We really dont think of the people who really
contributed to the society and its welfare but we always like to
comment on the people who bought fame by paying money.

We have to change our attitude. If we know someone is not that great
but has too much of fame and money then just leave them. It is their
trick to find a living. Please concentrate on the real contributors.
One such leader is Gandhiji and do we really know what happened to
their family now? Really not, but if you someone related to bollywood
or hollywood and ask what they are doing we are ready to give answers.

Please do consider that we have lot more to pay attention on other
issues than simply wasting time on unwanted things.

Hi

Author: anju bala    19 Feb 2009Member Level: SilverRating:     Points: 4
Hello,

Seriously, i think this is not only the topic to discuss but we have
to do something for senior citizen. I travel in bus every day and saw
that if any senior citizen stands in bus not body offer their seats to
them. I really feel ashamed bcoz i feel if they have such stamina to
stand 1-2 hours in bus why dont we have. If i m seating in bus i
always offer my seat to senior citizen.

We have to give them respect as well as take care of them. If our
grandparents also treated like this we feel ashamed thats why we have
to treat them as our grandparents.

Author: RK    19 Feb 2009Member Level: DiamondRating:     Points: 1
Yes we should have respect and honour on Senior citizen. One day we
will also reach to that stage, hence we should think future and behave
today.

Regards,
RK - Some thing special
World on your fingers

Author: Narayanaraja    19 Feb 2009Member Level: SilverRating:     Points: 0
No I am an example of that.One amongst many

Author: Abhishek    21 Feb 2009Member Level: SilverRating:     Points: 6
How bad it is, could be a matter of debate but it is so true that
senior citizens in our country are a significantly neglected lot. Lot
of initiative needs to be taken up by the governments the society and
the younger generations in order to improve the lives of them. Serious
steps are required to make things nice and easy for our elders who had
toiled hard for the families and the society in there young daysthis
is an important matter to discuss at this time. How are the senior
people treated now a days. In rural ares, some how they get respect
and care. But this is not the case in cities. In cities, senior
citizens should enjoy some privileges, such as special seats on buses,
reduced fares for entertainment and traveling, and other benefits. We
should do everything to solve their practical problems, to warm their
hearts, and to make them happy. Also there must be servants appointed
to take care of them. In addition, we should find some ways to provide
affordable medical health care, which is of vital importance to them.
Besides, there should be recreation halls and care- centers for the
aged. Most important of all, the state should ensure a decent pension
for them, peasants in particular.
Step2In the vast countryside, most aged people are financially
supported by their sons, whose life is a perpetual struggle against
poverty. There are different cases also. What can they do if they are
childless? In my opinion, the government or the society should give
their help ,warmth and regards, make them feel that they are also
enjoying their life all the same. In other words, we should supply
more welfare to these seniors. They are also a part of the society.
Senior citizens, parents in particular, need our love and deserve the
best care. It is our duty to take care of them. Respecting senior
citizens bears vital importance to the family - planning policy in
China. If we do our best to honor our parents and the aged, our
children will follow our example, which seems to be much better for
younger generations.
====================

RREWA Website is a boon to pensioners

RREWA Website is a boon to pensioners

 

Where can a government pensioner get all the info he needs, provided he is a computer literate? Just one source – RREWA website is enough.

 

Retired Railway Employees Welfare Association (RREWA), located in Gurgaon, was established in 1998 and their website was launched in 2007. The website has all the circulars, guidelines, rules, regulations and other details that a pensioner may look for. Especially after the revision of salaries and pension by the sixth pay commission, its usage has shot up. On the home page there is ticker reminding the user, say, that it is time to file Life certificate.  Nearly 480 documents are filed under some 22 categories neatly indexed. It would be useful if the scope of each category is described somewhere.

 

There is separate section for Senior citizens – who need not be pensioners. Useful info on Health, Travel, Concessions, and Housing are given. Useful links, though just a few (20) are highly relevant. I found link to Indian Newspapers on the web very comprehensive as it enumerates more than 320 media sites. There is a discussion forum but it is merely a blog site with a few blog posts and comments thereon. Difference between "what is new" and "Current Issues" is not clear. Links to Government websites are most useful. There is even a facility for learning basics of Internet online!  As far as State government pensioners are concerned links to local departments (AG's office) are provided via a map. Serious users need to register and pay a subscription fee – one time, nominal amount.

 

Within a matter of two years the number of visitors has crossed 66000, which is a creditable achievement considering that visitors need to be senior citizens who are net savvy. Credit goes to Sri Sc Maheshwari for his undaunted efforts in reaching out to customers and for his support staff who keep the site regularly updated such that frequent visitors do not go disappointed. The site is advertisement supported (Hospitals, Colleges, Job sites etc) which again confirms that sponsors find it worth advertising here!

 

 

Pensioners Journal – RREWA Gurgaon 2009

Pensioners Journal – RREWA Gurgaon 2009

14th Annual Issue of Pensioners Journal, published by Retired Railway Employee’s Welfare Association (RREWA) Gurgaon for the year 2009, provides lot of useful information to pensioners. Circulars of the government departments affecting all pensioners, articles on Health (obesity, sleep disorders, Ageing issues), legal matters (Wills, Court verdicts) are given. Eight court verdicts are briefly summarized with pointers to full text in the RREWA website.

Most important for the senior citizen (not necessarily government pensioner) is the exhaustive article on current budget & personal taxation written from senior citizens point of view. Impact of Direct Taxes Code is also reviewed.

The editorial by SC Maheswari gives out a clarion call to all pensioners to get united and force the government to listen to their demands. All types of pensioners – States, central, defence, PSUs, Railways, Academic sector etc - account for 2% of our population and roughly constitute two crores. As this is no small number in terms of Vote Bank, getting united is the surest way of demanding attention and action.

The last article in this 100 pages publication is on Philosophy of Life by MV Ruparelia who is a prolific writer in the field of gerontology. The inclusion of advertisements (nearly 20%) shows the association is fairly influential in terms of raising money! This fact is further strengthened when we learn that RREWA has been awarded an annual grant of Rs 60000/- by GOI.

Senior citizens, pensioners in particular, will find this annual publication worth reading. There is no price indicated – may be free to members.

Google translation is quicker and better

Google translation is quicker and better: "Google translation is quicker and better
Google announced translate as you type feature recently. A host of tools and felicities have been added to manage translations. Some fifty language pairs including Hindi are available.
CJ: Vyasamoorthy

Thu, Nov 19, 2009 15:30:27 IST
Views:
759
Comments:
0
Rate: 1 out of 5 2 out of 5 3 out of 5 4 out of 5 5 out of 5 0.0 / 0 votes
Google Recent Information :
Google goes desi!
GOOGLE TRANSLATION has been constantly evolving for the better. In early November 2009, Google has announced quicker translation. That is, translation appears as you type along! This is simply superb and thrilling. The facility is available from English to fifty languages and vice versa. We should be happy to note that Hindi is one among them.

I typed in the following text and got quick translation as shown below. By inputting the English version and asking for French I got back almost correctly what I wrote in the first instance.

Input In English:

Good morning dear friends! I do not know French but I am trying to write in French using Google Translator. Google translator is good for most purposes. See what it gives in reverse translation.

Translation into French

Bonjour chers amis! Je ne sais pas le français mais je suis en train d'écrire en français en utilisant Google Translator. Google Translator est bon pour la plupart des usages. Voir ce que cela donne dans la traduction inverse.

Reverse Translation into English

Hello dear friends! I do not know French but I am writing in French using Google Translator. Google Translator is good for most uses. See what happens in the reverse translation.

Pretty good, you will agree.

There is a phonetic component as well. You can hear the translation spoken by a lady over you speakers / headphone. There is also a management tool to keep track of your translation jobs. What is impressive is that you can upload complete files – no need to key in.

All translations are free. Professional translators can cut down their efforts greatly and stick to just fine tuning the draft. If translators are willing they may tell (educate) Google with a better translation also. Try this at translate.google.com"

Google Dashboard

Google Dashboard - Gain Total Control over your Google Account Privacy

 

Have you ever wondered what Google stores in the 'settings' of various Google product accounts used by you? How much of it is private and what is actually shared? Want to change some of the settings for better security and safety? Google Dashboard, launched early this November provides an elegant answer.

 

You may be a Google user just for Searching the web and Gmail or a sophisticated user of several Google products like Gmail, News Alerts, Google Docs, Picasa, YouTube, Google sites,  Orkut, Blogger etc. When you started using (signed up) each of these services or products you may have entered certain data about yourself or how you want to use the product in 'settings'. What exactly are you storing in Google products and how much of it open to public may be nagging you. Now Google dashboard comes to your rescue.

 

In order to use the Dashboard just log into any of your Google products say Gmail. Then in the URL Window type: http://www.google.com/dashboard. A page opens up showing all the products used by you along with links to control the data entered and shared or kept private by you. For example in the case of my Gmail account it shows:

 

Besides giving statistics about the contents of Inbox, All Mail, Sent Mail, Saved Drafts, Chat history, Trash etc, you also get hyperlinks to:

 

Manage chat history

Manage HTTPS settings

Manage all Gmail settings

Gmail privacy policy

Privacy and security help

 

There are similar pages for each of the products you use in Google. 

 

For example in my Google Profile page, only certain data is in public view. I am in complete control over what I want to share. I can change this whenever I want. Google Dashboard is a single place to locate and manage all the personal information about the accounts that we hold. Security, safety and privacy issues can be handled better now, thanks to Google Dashboard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are you a compulsive Hoarder - Need Some Advice?

Are you a compulsive hoarder – Need some advice?

Hoarder – Know thyself!

Some people tend to collect all sorts of things books, clothes, shoes,
papers, containers of all sorts and what not. Fortunately Indians do
not collect and keep pets and animals as westerners do. They neither
use them nor dispose off regularly. Such collected mass of useless
materials clutter, occupy space and create many problems. You can not
find anything you want. Unsightly appearance puts you off from doing
anything. The clutter seems so huge that you are afraid: Where do I
begin? You are ashamed of inviting friends to your house and always
prefer to see them elsewhere. Re-arranging useful things and throwing
away what you don't need is always accompanied by a lot of anxiety and
trauma. It becomes an emotional issue making you not to accept
criticism. You do not want to accept or invite help from anybody. If
you are a Senior citizen you tend to develop a sense of belonging to a
lot of useless clutter and can not let things go. You suffer longer
than others because of your age and let me add: some senselessness!

Clutter or hoarding?

Clutter is just accumulation of things in haphazard manner. This could
be a result of lack of space, lack of time, sheer laziness,
procrastination etc. It could also result from physical inability to
attend to a tough physical job – say you are suffering from Arthritis
or joint pains. Given the proper push you would pick up courage to do
some spring cleaning and get rid of clutter. But hoarding is a
compulsive obsession to collect and keep things of all sorts. There is
always some trauma and mental attachment that prevents one from
discarding 'possessions'.

Here are some tips:

1. If you would like to get rid of the menacing hoarding habit, there
is nothing to panic. Just realize there are plenty of people like you.
In fact there are many online support groups exclusively dealing with
Obsessive Compulsive Hoarding – the largest and oldest being:
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/H-C/, managed by Paula Host.
2. You can seek the help and advice of a close friend in whom you can
confide. You can take help in hiring persons who do the dirty job of
cleaning up all the accumulated mess of piles of unwanted materials.
3. If you can organize to donate your belongings to needy persons or
organizations then you will get a sense of satisfaction of being
useful. After all your collection did not just go waste!

Difficult but can be done:

While attempting to de-clutter your rooms or shelf space one of the
most crucial and painful steps is about deciding what to keep and what
to throw. The argument that you may need it once you throw away
something or for that matter you may not be able to buy it once you
toss out useless things does not hold water. After all for years you
have had a thing without ever using it; when you really need something
you won't be able to retrieve it because of highly disorganized
clutter. Either way the best logical option is the weed out unwanted
cluttering stuff. Therefore take courage to mercilessly throw away
anything that you have not used since acquiring it or anything that
you may get substitutes if need be. Only important legal documents,
property related papers, tax papers need to be kept.

Books, support groups etc:

If you are a person who will be moved by reading authoritative books
then start with: "Buried in treasures: Help for Compulsive Acquiring,
Saving and Hoarding" by Tolin, Frost & Stektee (OUP). Or share your
concerns in online forums that offer support as already hinted. Once
you have cleared all the clutter you can be of great service to those
around you. And the bottom line is, as Charisse Ward says: "If you do
not use it or need it, it is clutter, and it needs to go".

Some tips to handle reading difficulty

Some Tips to handle Reading Difficulty

Most senior citizens are likely to suffer from vision problems as they
age. Some may find that the lighting may not be sufficient. Others may
have hazy vision even after cataract operation. While reading small
print on paper or computer screen is most common, identifying persons,
steps, sign boards or buildings may be problematic to some. Apart from
correctional measures such as cataract operation, well prescribed
glasses, let us see a few simple tips to manage this issue.

If you are a computer buff and frequently come across web pages that
are in small print you may like try these:
1. To see text enlarged you may press Control and Plus one or two
times. The characters get magnified. However the entire page gets
magnified.
2. If you desire only portions of the screen to be magnified (where
cursor is) then you can use Magnifier available as a part of Windows.
Reach this application like this: Start -> Accessories -> Accessibity
-> Magnifier. You can magnify the screen part to 2,3,4 or more times.
However magnifying too much will result in blurred images. Magnifying
twice or thrice should do. You can leave magnifier on irrespective of
the program you are on. Learn the options fully to make it most
useful.
3. Some websites that are senior friendly provide an option to
increase or decrease font size. Use them.
4. When you view an image most applications allow enlargement
indicated by a + sign within a small circle. By clicking on this we
can see larges images.

If you are reading newspapers, books, advertisements or manuals small
print becomes inevitable. While buying a standard magnifying glass
with a sturdy frame and convenient handle is worth it, you may also do
well with substitutes: School Children's Scale often have a magnifying
lens at one end; Flat rectangular thin plastic sheets comprising of
Fresnel lens will also be very handy. If you can't get hold of any of
these and still want to read urgently some fine print (say a phone
number) then take a flat, transparent glass or plastic lid of a
kitchen jar and place a drop of water in the centre. Move this, with
water globule over the text and you will see the text enlarged.

There are specialized tools and equipment fitted with magnifiers
suited to old people. One such device is for clipping nails on your
feet. The website "Old Age Solutions" lists a few of such devices for
visually impaired seniors. One can overcome reading difficulties
caused due to poor vision in these simple ways.
==============

Probus Guide for Seniors - 2009

Here is my review of the latest Annual Publication of Probus Club of
Chennai. I am publishing this in my blog, Merinews, Cplash, Sulekha,
Karmayog and other sites. Vyasamoorthy

==================================
Probus Guide for Seniors

For the eighteenth successful year, Probus Club of Chennai has brought
out this Annual reference book – sort of Almanac. The book may be
considered to be in three parts, though no such distinction is claimed
by the compilers or publishers. First part gives background
information about the club in the form of a note by the President, the
conceptual framework, nostalgic account of how the series of annual
publication began and developed, list of contributors etc. The list
of contributors reads like a who is who among eminent retirees of
Chennai comprising of doctors, psychologists, engineers, teachers,
corporate executives, geriatricians, chartered accountants and so on.
The Educational Assistance offered by the club is commendable: With a
corpus grown to more than ten lakhs (from six lakhs last year),
helping some 55 high school students in four schools is praiseworthy.
This activity will help bridging the generation gap that senior
citizens are prone to suffer.

The second part provides a series of short articles on various topics
of interest to the aged persons like: Law, Safety, Income Tax, Budget,
Religion, hobbies and health. As health appears to be one of the most
important concerns, there are about ten articles in this area alone.
There are three articles in Tamil. There is an account of Chennai in
olden days – Madras: I liked it much as my hometown is Madras. Apart
from signed articles there are a good number of extracts from the
websites on topics like: home remedies, all about blood, quiz on heart
attack, quiz on angina, quiz on Alzheimers, organ donation, ambulance
and emergency services etc. An article on Reverse mortgage is timely
and useful. Among all contributions, there is an odd man out that does
not fit into the theme – you may discover it yourself if you read the
whole book!

The third part is a sort of a directory. Items like Assistive and
Enabling devices, List of NGOs working for seniors, Eye banks, Blood
banks, helpline, important phone numbers, Old age Homes in Chennai and
Tamil Nadu (130 out of 250 covered), Details of Doctors on House call,
Facilities for renting wheel chairs, walkers & the like, diagnostic
labs etc are all given. In the case of Old Age Homes, coverage of
other states and cities has been omitted this year. List of Palliative
care centers in South India is a welcome addition. While we expect a
number of NGOs to be discussed under "Organizations working for the
Elderly" we find only HelpAge being described. List of Ambulance
services (65) is exhaustive. Doctors willing to do house calls
(increased from 50 to 60 in this year) are thoughtfully given area
wise.

The number of advertisements in this 300 pages book has come down from
40 last year to 23 this year – thus increasing the value for your
money! This Annual publication for 2009 is available from Sri KV
Chary, Chennai Ph 24981099 for a nominal donation of Rs 100 plus
postage.

I would strongly recommend this book to all interested in Ageing
related issues and the ordinary retiree looking for a handy book
giving addresses, phone numbers of products and service providers for
his specialized needs.
==========

Re: [sss-global] Gang blackmailing senior citizens busted

NAMESTHE TO ALL
Sr.citizens have become innocent victims for many types of
blackmailings. Society also does not bother for them, as they are
physically and mentally weak and even family members are treating them
as unwanted guests. As long as sr.citizens can not come out of the
false prestige, psedo selfish relationships and ignorance, they will be
targetted like this, by the intelligent young selfish people, who are
considered as intlligent and respected citizen of the society

. -- AS DISCUSSED IN OUR PREVIOUS MAILS, THE SOLUTION FOR
THIS MAY BE TO ACCEPT SR.CITIZENS(BOTH LONELY, MALE AND
FEMALE, ABONDONED) TO LIVE TOGETHER AND HELP EACH
OTHER. DISCRIMINATION OF SEX, HAS BECOME A BIG TABOO IN
THE LIFE OF SR.CITIZENS, THOUGH IT DOES NOT HAVE ANY
IMPORTANCE IN THAT AGE. -- THOUGH YOUNGSTERS ARE NOT
FOLLOWING ANY ETHICAL RULES REGARDING SEX, THEY
BLACKMAIL SENIORS, -- ESPECIALLY THE MINDSET OF THE
ELDER WOMEN DO NOT CHANGE, AND ELDER MEN ARE THROWN
INTO DIFFICULTIES. -- I BEG UR PARDON, MY COMMENTS ARE
SOMEWHAT HARSH AND WILL RISE MANY STORMS IN OUR
GROUP. PL DISCUSS IN DEEP AND A TRUE AMICABLE GUIDELINE
MAY BE FOUND, WHICH IS VERY NECESSARY IN THE PRESENT
CIRCUMSTANCES. -- NAMESTHE TO ALL. -- THANKS

----- Original Message -----
From: Padmanabha Vyasamoorthy <vyasamoorthy@gmail.com>
Date: Monday, November 9, 2009 9:14 pm
Subject: [sss-global] Gang blackmailing senior citizens busted

> Gang blackmailing senior citizens busted
> Ritesh Shah / DNA
> Wednesday, November 4, 2009 11:37 IST
>
>
> Ahmedabad: After Chandkheda, its now Vejalpur's senior citizens' turn
> to gird their loins, almost literally. A gang comprising young girls,
> boys and a mastermind has been on the prowl in the area, pouncing on
> lonely elderly men, luring them with sexual incentives,
> before blackmailing them.
>
> In one such incident that occurred on Sunday at 8:45 pm, one Ramesh
> Chandra Sharab, 62, a retired bank manager and resident of Nilharsh
> apartment at Anjali circle in Vasna, was waylaid by members of the
> gang while he was coming out of the Dharnidhar derasar. According to
> his complaint, Sharab met a 50-year-old woman, who introduced herself
> as Jaya Patel. Refusing his request to accompany him to a nearby
> garden, Patel instead took him to her house at Shantinath apartment
> near Vejalpur police station.
>
> While proceeding to her house in a rickshaw, the duo's conversation
> veered towards their individual sex lives, when Patel kissed him and
> also said that she can also provide him a younger girl of 25 years,
> who would satisfy his carnal desires. She also called for a girl,
> Deepika, a 25-year-old married woman.
>
> When Deepika and Sharab got sexually involved in the house, Patel
> disappeared from the scene. Later, there was a knock on the door when
> three boys entered the room and started taking video clips of the girl
> kissing Sharab. They then abused Sharab for indulging in sex with a
> girl of his daughter's age and tookcash and a gold chain worth
> Rs31,000.
>
> The gang asked Sharab to pay Rs1 lakh if he wanted to maintain a
clean
> image in society. They also told him that they would give him a call
> on November 2 for the money. One of them called Sharab on November
1
> asking him for the money. Sharab panicked. The gang asked him to pay
> the money in installments of Rs50,000 separately. Sharab consulted his
> son, and the duo approached ACP VR Tolia on Monday.
>
> Sharab received another call from the woman on his phone, while they
> were at the police station. Tolia asked Vejalpur PSI BR Mackwana to
> accompany Sharab to Shantinath apartment, where they arrested
Deepika
> and her husband Manish, 25, Nishith, Paresh Patel, (Jaya's son) and
> Jaya Patel.Police seized Sharab's PAN card and ID card and recovered
> the cash from them.
>
> "Though so far four cases have been committed by the gang, it was
> difficult to trace the gang as people refrained from coming out in
> public. We are investigatingthe four cases," said Mackwana.
>
> Two months ago a similar incident had occurred in Chandkheda,
> where a
> senior citizen was accosted during morning walk. Based on his
> complaint registered with the police, a gang comprising two cops was
> busted.
> ==============
>
> I appreciate the guts of this victim -- instead of coughing up the
> ransom amount he chose to complain. PVM
>
>
> Dr P Vyasamoorthy,
> 30 Gruhalakshmi Colony Secunderabad 500015 Ph 040-27846631 /
> 9490804278http://www.google.com/profiles/vyasamoorthy.
>

Gang blackmailing senior citizens busted

Gang blackmailing senior citizens busted
Ritesh Shah / DNA
Wednesday, November 4, 2009 11:37 IST

Ahmedabad: After Chandkheda, its now Vejalpur's senior citizens' turn
to gird their loins, almost literally. A gang comprising young girls,
boys and a mastermind has been on the prowl in the area, pouncing on
lonely elderly men, luring them with sexual incentives,
before blackmailing them.

In one such incident that occurred on Sunday at 8:45 pm, one Ramesh
Chandra Sharab, 62, a retired bank manager and resident of Nilharsh
apartment at Anjali circle in Vasna, was waylaid by members of the
gang while he was coming out of the Dharnidhar derasar. According to
his complaint, Sharab met a 50-year-old woman, who introduced herself
as Jaya Patel. Refusing his request to accompany him to a nearby
garden, Patel instead took him to her house at Shantinath apartment
near Vejalpur police station.

While proceeding to her house in a rickshaw, the duo's conversation
veered towards their individual sex lives, when Patel kissed him and
also said that she can also provide him a younger girl of 25 years,
who would satisfy his carnal desires. She also called for a girl,
Deepika, a 25-year-old married woman.

When Deepika and Sharab got sexually involved in the house, Patel
disappeared from the scene. Later, there was a knock on the door when
three boys entered the room and started taking video clips of the girl
kissing Sharab. They then abused Sharab for indulging in sex with a
girl of his daughter's age and tookcash and a gold chain worth
Rs31,000.

The gang asked Sharab to pay Rs1 lakh if he wanted to maintain a clean
image in society. They also told him that they would give him a call
on November 2 for the money. One of them called Sharab on November 1
asking him for the money. Sharab panicked. The gang asked him to pay
the money in installments of Rs50,000 separately. Sharab consulted his
son, and the duo approached ACP VR Tolia on Monday.

Sharab received another call from the woman on his phone, while they
were at the police station. Tolia asked Vejalpur PSI BR Mackwana to
accompany Sharab to Shantinath apartment, where they arrested Deepika
and her husband Manish, 25, Nishith, Paresh Patel, (Jaya's son) and
Jaya Patel.Police seized Sharab's PAN card and ID card and recovered
the cash from them.

"Though so far four cases have been committed by the gang, it was
difficult to trace the gang as people refrained from coming out in
public. We are investigatingthe four cases," said Mackwana.

Two months ago a similar incident had occurred in Chandkheda, where a
senior citizen was accosted during morning walk. Based on his
complaint registered with the police, a gang comprising two cops was
busted.
==============

I appreciate the guts of this victim -- instead of coughing up the
ransom amount he chose to complain. PVM

Dr P Vyasamoorthy,
30 Gruhalakshmi Colony Secunderabad 500015 Ph 040-27846631 / 9490804278
http://www.google.com/profiles/vyasamoorthy.

Add Comments to ANY web Page using Google’s Sidewiki : vyasamoorthy blogs on sulekha, Technology blogs, vyasamoorthy blog from india

Add Comments to ANY web Page using Google’s Sidewiki : vyasamoorthy blogs on sulekha, Technology blogs, vyasamoorthy blog from india

(Police) Officer to scrutinize senior citizens’ grievances (Chennai)

Officer to scrutinise senior citizens' grievances

Special Correspondent

— Photo: S.R. Raghunathan

Voicing concerns: Senior citizens submitting a memorandum to
Commissioner of Police T. Rajendran at an interactive meeting in
Chennai on Friday.

CHENNAI: A majority of senior citizens who spoke at an interactive
session organised by the Chennai police here on Friday accused
autorickshaw drivers of charging excess fare and not using meters.

Listing the various difficulties faced by them, they urged the police
to intervene and take appropriate action to make their life easy and
secure.

Elaborating some of the problems faced by senior citizens, K.
Radhakrishnan, director, Dignity Foundation, said some parents were
forced by their children to sign documents for transfer of property
into their names. "A common problem is that children do not allow
parents or elders to sit in the living room in the evening… they are
often confined to their rooms. Some are not given food on time."

Referring to a case of an aged woman locked up in a room by her
son-in-law in Abhiramapuram recently, he said the woman's son who came
from Mumbai was not allowed to see her. "We took the assistance of the
police to rescue the 85-year-old woman who was lying on the floor,
crying unstoppably. He [the accused] was demanding Rs.5 lakh ransom
for her release. Police helped in taking prompt action." He said
pavements were often encroached upon by vendors and shopkeepers
forcing people to walk on roads. "It is difficult to travel in buses.
The alternative is to take an autorickshaw and the drivers charge us
exorbitantly," Mr.Radhakrishnan said.

Probus Club president S. Krishnaram Davey said haphazard parking made
it difficult for senior citizens to move their cars in many
residential areas, particularly T. Nagar. Retired Professor of History
Balammal said traffic management should take into consideration the
requirements of elders. Urging the Commissioner of Police to form a
Senior Citizens' Coordination Committee, she said beneficiaries faced
problems in getting Old Age Pension.

Another speaker alleged that motorcyclists were indulging in racing in
the Besant Nagar area. Traffic congestion was caused in residential
pockets due to shooting of films and television serials.
Chain-snatching incidents were occurring almost daily and it had
become unsafe for women to go out for shopping or temples after 7 p.m.

Bhajan Lal of Dignity Foundation appealed to the police to take it up
with the insurance companies for extending health coverage for senior
citizens, particularly those above 70 years of age.

Winding up the session, Commissioner of Police T. Rajendran said the
Chennai police had been trying to reach out to various sections in the
recent weeks. Separate meetings were held with academicians, IT
professionals, industrialists and others. "When it comes to senior
citizens, our concern is primarily confined to physical safety. Many
parents are lodging complaints that their children deserted them after
taking over the property. They seek asylum… we feel helpless sometimes
but it makes us feel good that they have confidence in the police."

Mr. Rajendran said complaints of autorickshaw drivers plying without
meters and charging excess fare would be looked into. A police
official would be nominated as nodal officer to work with voluntary
organisations serving the needs of senior citizens.

My Comments: Do you recognize that some sss-global members are
mentioned in this news item? Who can spot them, except of course the
concerned member(s)?
=============================
Source:
http://www.hindu.com/2009/11/08/stories/2009110850210200.htm

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

Sidewiki entry on Old Age Solutions - Review - Merinews

I wrote a Google Sidewiki entry and wanted to share it with you.

Sidewiki entry:

Padmanabha Vyasamoorthy wrote:

Old Age Solutions - There are differences between the draft I had sent and the edited one published here. The draft gives the URL and more info on another useful blog for senior citizens. For my personal blog post where you will find the unedited draft please see:
http://vyasa-kaaranam-ketkadey.blogspot.com/2009/11/old-age-solutions-website-review.html

• View this Sidewiki entry in context, next to the webpage.
• Get started with Google Sidewiki to read and contribute helpful information on any webpage.

Pancreatic Cancer - A Tricky Killer

Pancreatic Cancer: A Tricky Killer

Are you above fifty?

Are you loosing weight?

Do you have abdominal pain?

Are you a diabetic?

Then consult a gastroenterologist immediately.

You must rule out Pancreatic Cancer!

Patrick Swayze, the American actor, singer and dancer died of pancreatic cancer in September this year. This celebrity’s death brought about a lot of awareness and in that way he has done a lot of good. November is the month devoted to creating awareness among public about this special type of cancer. Knowing about this deadly form of cancer may help you get an early diagnosis and chances of living longer may be possible. Shall we quickly run through an Intro?

Nearly 47000 persons suffer from pancreatic cancer in the USA alone. The chances of living for about five years after the diagnosis are just 5%. Most patients die within a year. In India the pancreatic Cancer load is about 17000 in 2008. This figure is likely to go up as the ageing population is increasing year after year.

What causes pancreatic cancer? No clear cut cause has been established. However, some predisposing factors include: Smoking, Ethnicity (Jews suffer more), old age (persons above 50 get PC more than others), Diabetics, and men as against women. In India, many persons below 50 are also affected which means we are losing earning members.

The diagnosis of PC is generally delayed for long as most of the symptoms are common place. Pain in the abdomen especially in the upper region, back pain, yellowing of skin or eyes, loss of weight, loss of appetite, mental depression are common symptoms. Unfortunately these symptoms can be taken lightly very often as commonplace problems. Hence when actual diagnosis is made the cancer has reached a fairly advanced stage (fourth stage which is terminal) and very little can be done. Even surgery may be impractical and useless.

Can PC be prevented? Not really. Chances of getting may be reduced by avoiding cigarettes, alcohol, maintaining good healthy weight, nutritious food and warding off diabetes. These are some general beliefs. However, a study of some 80000 persons in 2006 failed to show up any definitive correlation.

As such, there is no cure. No one comes out totally cured. Only palliative procedures like Radiation therapy, Chemotherapy and surgical interventions are done. Extending lifetime and improving quality of life are only aimed at. But all cancer treatment procedures are accompanied with a number of side effects. For instance in Chemotherapy certain drugs are injected via veins. The patient suffers headache, nausea, fever, severe pain in abdomen, loss of hair etc. Diarrhea, constipation, Sore throat or ulcers in mouth or bone pain may also be present. Not all patients get all side effects. When the patient recovers somewhat and feels just about normal another cycle of Chemotherapy is advised. The pain and suffering continue in cycles. Most pain relieving drugs have limited benefit. In India we lack palliative care mechanisms, hospices and trained care givers. If you want to know more you may consult specialists at www.pancreaticcancerindia.com run by Tata Memorial Hospital Mumbai.

2 years on, State yet to notify Senior Citizens

2 years on, State yet to notify Senior Citizens

Sharadha Narayanan
First Published : 13 Oct 2009 03:32:00 AM IST
Last Updated : 13 Oct 2009 06:38:13 AM IST

CHENNAI: It has been more than two years since the Central government
passed the Maintenance and Welfare of Senior Citizens Act but the
State government is yet to notify it in its gazette.

Despite having the country's oldest CM and being home to over 77 lakh
senior citizens, who form 12 per cent of the State's population, the
State sleeps over the matter.

The Maintenance and Welfare of Senior Citizens Act, which empowers
senior citizens or parents to seek maintenance from legal heirs to
their property, calls for the establishment of a tribunal in every
district in every State to take up the problems and complaints of
senior citizens.

Senior citizens can, by this Act, seek maintenance for the purpose of
his or her food, shelter, clothes, medical facilities and recreation,
while the tribunal can punish those who forsake or ill-treat them.

Two years after its introduction, only six States in the country,
including Gujarat, Karnataka, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tripura and West
Bengal, have notified the Act, along with the Union Territory of
Chandigarh.

Elders Federation, a Tamil Nadu-based NGO, will be meeting CM M
Karunanidhi soon, seeking quicker implementation of the Act.

"The Act calls for a district-level committee to be established for
the welfare of the senior citizens and yet, the State has not even
discussed the issue in the Assembly," says Sheelu, president, Women's
Collective. While speaking to Express, commissioner, Directorate of
Social Welfare, MP Nirmala, IAS said the Act is in the process of
being notified.

"We have been assured that there will be quicker action towards
implementation of the Act in the State. Senior citizens, however,
often do not prefer filing complaints against their kin," said Meryln
Freeda, deputy director, advocacy, HelpAge India.

Other demands by the Elders Federation include the need for a
multi-purpose ID card, increase of government pension to Rs 1,000 per
month, separate queues in public places for senior citizens,
concessions in bus fares and inclusion of lessons on 'Respect for
Elders' in school syllabus.
============
http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=2+years+on,+State+yet+to+notify+Senior+Citizens&artid=1K8pBhAcwL8=&SectionID=lifojHIWDUU=&MainSectionID=wIcBMLGbUJI=&SectionName=rSY|6QYp3kQ=&SEO=
===========
Dr P Vyasamoorthy,
30 Gruhalakshmi Colony Secunderabad 500015 Ph 040-27846631 / 9490804278
http://www.google.com/profiles/vyasamoorthy.

Geriatric wards to be set up at major hospitals (Hyderabad)

Geriatric wards to be set up at major hospitals

Chief Minister K Rosaiah receiving a copy of book on Geriatrics from
MLA P. Shankar Rao, who is also the president of Geriatric Society, at
the 13th annaul Geriatric conference, Hyderabad (Photo)
Express News Service
First Published : 01 Nov 2009 03:38:00 AM IST

HYDERABAD: Here is some good news for senior citizens. The State
Government plans to establish `geriatric wards' at all major hospitals
in the State.

This was revealed by Chief Minister K Rosaiah today during the 13th
annual national conference of Geriatric Society of India.

As it is not possible to establish wards in all the hospitals of the
State, the Government plans to establish them at least in major
hospitals.

He also recalled that most of the senior citizens Below Poverty Line
(BPL) are covered under Arogyasri.

Participating in the event Secenderabad Cantonment MLA, P Shankar, who
is also an alumni of Gandhi Medical College, proposed to Rosaiah to
introduce bachelor and post-graduate geriatric courses in NTR Health
University.

According to Geriatric Society of India, life expectancy in India at
the time of Independence was 21 years and gradually it has increased
to 51 years.

Though Constitution guarantees care to elders but in reality it is not
implemented. P S Shankar, President of the Geriatric Society, said
there is a need for old-age homes especially in rural areas.
==========