How to take care of emotional well being of Elders

Report Online National Elder Abuse Survey (SIF): WEAAD 2011

I thank and congratulate Sri Sailesh MIshra for taking enormous initiative in creating great awareness. Several programs Silver Innings Foundation has completed during this month in connection with WEAAD 2011 would go a long away. SSS is happy to be associated. We hope to distribute other reports as well as and when they become available. Vyasamoorthy

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Sailesh Mishra posted in World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) 15th June.
Sailesh Mishra 10:37pm Jun 27

Report Online National Elder Abuse Survey ,Elder Abuse, Magnitude & Intervention,WEAAD 2011

On the occasion of 6th Annual World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) 15th June 2011 Silver Inning Foundation(SIF) a NGO working with senior citizens and their family members in association with INPEA (International Network for Prevention of Elder Abuse) Indian Chapter through Development, Welfare and Research Foundation (DWARF) and 'Little Things Matter Initiatives' (LTMI), SSS Global, FESCOM (Mumbai), '1298' Senior Citizens Helpline, Mumbai, AISCCON , Harmony for Silvers Foundation & ALFRESCO FC commemorated Elder Abuse Awareness Day from on May 20th to June 20th 2011 . SIF through its networking and social media had taken the initiative to host various events pan India to create awareness and sensitize the Government and the Civil Society to eliminate/prevent elder abuse at both micro and macro level.

India is gradually undergoing a demographic change. With decline in fertility and mortality rates accompanied by an improvement in child survival and increased life expectancy, a significant feature of demographic change is the progressive increase in the number of elderly persons.The disintegration of the joint family system and the emergence of nuclear families, has affected the care of the aged the most, Elderly today are the most ignored and neglected segment.

World over 15th June is marked as World Elder Abuse Awareness Day by INPEA.INPEA is an organization, founded in 1997, which is dedicated to the global dissemination of information as part of its commitment to the world-wide prevention of the abuse of older people. The United Nations International Plan of Action adopted by all countries in Madrid, April 2002, clearly recognizes the importance of addressing and preventing abuse and neglect of older adults and puts it in the framework of the Universal Human Rights. INPEA is dedicated to supporting the plan of action.

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day month long programme aims to increase society's ability, through various programmes, to recognize and respond to the mistreatment of older people in whatever setting it occurs, so that the latter years of life will be free from abuse, neglect and exploitation.

Objective for WEAAD 2011:
.. To create awareness in elderly people themselves regarding what comes under elder abuse.
.. To sensitize young people regarding elder abuse and to bridge the intergenerational gap between elderly and young people.
.. To create awareness in media and civil society at large regarding elder abuse.

Through this Online Elder Abuse Survey, we could find out the awareness about Elder Abuse, Magnitude & Intervention.

This survey was jointly conducted by Silver Inning Foundation(SIF) and Society for Serving Seniors (SSS Global) to assess Elder Abuse, Magnitude & Intervention from 20th May to 20th June 2011. It was hosted on the Survey Site http://www.facebook.com/l/c9ea4sqgjivtScZlzYHwhrQ3lMA/www.questionpro.com at the link: http://www.facebook.com/l/c9ea4UdsmiGZaY9Nb29hXDwtCVQ/elderabusemagnitudeandinterventionsurvey2011.questionpro.com/

The questionnaire was open for all Age group and was online for about a month. Wide publicity was given to this survey in a large number of web groups, blogs, websites and by email to Senior Citizens associations, Federations etc.

A total of 650 persons viewed the Questionnaire; however only 355 ventured to answer. Results below indicate the verdict of remaining 355 persons across India, no one dropped out after taking the survey. Results are given in Four sections and followed by Detail Report.

Summary Report

Section A

Question 1
What is your Age: 23.73% in Age group of 45 yrs to 59 Yrs & 22.88% in Age Group of 70 yrs to 79yrs

Question 2
What is your Gender: Male 57.98%

Question 3
What is your Marital Status: Married 58.97%

Question 4
What is your Living arrangement: Living with Spouse 45.76%

Question 5
Have you ever been a victim of elder abuse or neglect or you know someone who's is victim of Elder Abuse or neglect: YES 57.26%

Question 6
If Yes then what types of elder abuse and neglect you have encountered: Neglect 25.74%

Question 7
Have you seen /Heard of Elder Abuse Case: Seen yourself 44.33%

Question 8
Who do you think are the Abuser: Son 32.76%

Question 10
Elder abuse is an important issue and it's there in our society: Strongly Agree 70.54%

Question 11
How can you improve the situation of Elder Abuse/Victim, Intervention: General Awareness 19.04%

Question B
Top 5 Types of elder abuse and neglect you have encountered:
1. Neglect
2. Psychological abuse
3. Financial abuse
4. Exploitation
5. Physical Abuse

Question C
Top 5 Type of Abuser:
1) Son
2) Relative
3) Daughter
4) Spouse
5) Stranger

Question D
Top 5 Intervention, How can you improve the situation of Elder Abuse/Victim:
1. General Awareness
2. Value Education in Schools
3. Effective laws
4. Intergeneration programme
5. Grievances cell

See attachment and link for Detail Report: http://www.facebook.com/l/c9ea4ar5EV7af0dTWx5o_cQ9gJA/silverinnings.blogspot.com/2011/06/report-of-india-online-national-elder.html

Warm Regards,
Sailesh Mishra
Founder President - Silver Inning Foundation
Founder - ARDSI Greater Mumbai Chapter

Loops and garlands

Loops and Garlands

Photo of Trio: RNM RBJ AR

Many of you may not have participated in 14th June 2011 function organised by HelpAge in connection with release of the Pan India Survey on Elder Abuse.

IT is an excellent in depth scientific survey. Most fascinating point that I have noted is that all results are compared with last year's survey results. Very disturbing but expected. You might have read a number of extracts from this study in media reports. 

In my post , you may see the faces of leading luminaries in our field: Sri RN MItal, Dr Rao B Chelikani, Smt Anita Rajendra in the Report on Weaad 2011 in HYderabad

Report on Weaad 2011 in Hyderabad


Dr P Vyasamoorthy, 30 Gruhalakshmi Colony Secunderabad 500015 Ph 040-27846631 / 9490804278.My blog: http://vyasa-kaaranam-ketkadey.blogspot.com/

Thanks for everyone who took any pains to create awareness about Elder Abuse!

WEAAD 2011 in Hyderabad

Report on WEAAD 2011 in Hyderabad

By Dr P Vyasamoorthy

Society for Serving Seniors, Secunderabad (SSS) conducted an online EA awareness Quiz. Nearly 80 persons participated. About ten persons were given Certificates of Excellence. A Quiz on Learning and answering Quiz taken from www.quizlet.com - teaching terms related to types of elder Abuse – was circulated to 650 senior citizens for self learning.

SSS actively collaborated with Silver Innings Foundation in observing WEAAD on a national level. For instance, the online survey questionnaire on EA was designed and promoted by SSS. The National Essay competition was advertised in BlogAdda site where thousands of Indian bloggers are members , through their weekly newsletters.

The Association of Senior Citizens, Hyderabad held a special meeting on 14^th. Six members gave speeches one including a poem in Telugu on Elder Abuse. EA Quiz mentioned above was also administered to some 45 participants.

ASRao Nagar Senior Citizens Association in Sainikpuri, Senior Citizens Forum in Malkajgiri, Associations in kukatpalli carried out rallies, meetings and pamphlet distribution. Hundreds of members of some 45 SCAs assembled in LB Nagar cross roads and went on a rally. HelpAge , Hyderabad was instrumental in local meetings on 15^th June.

On 14^th June, on the eve of the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, HelpAge , Hyderabad had a press release function where the chief guest was Ms Anita Rajendra, Commissioner of Women and Senior Citizens welfare. The CD and hard copy of a report on a survey on multi city (pan India) Elder Abuse was formally released on this occasion. Nine cities and 900 participants answered questions and the results were most scientifically analyzed. The results of this survey have been extensively covered in the media in all cities as the release of the report was made simultaneously from many cities.

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Which is better: Aarogyasri or RSBY?

Following Table compares two schemes available to public for health insurance: one promoted by central government called RSBY and another offered only in AP by the State government. Senior Citizens Associations all over India have been urging the central government to offer Aarogyasri type of health insurance as it is better on many counts. See for yourself in this table.

Comparison between Rashtriya Bima Yojna [RSBY] & Rajeev Gandhi Aarogyasri Scheme

RSBY	Aarogyasri	Remarks Why Aarogyasri is better for senior citizens
23.4 lakh Smart cards (families) issued	2.3 crore families, 82%** population of AP covered . Figures for Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra not available
BPL families – five members only per family on floater basis covered	BPL families – no limit on number of persons in a family– floater basis	Very significant from Senior citizens point of view. Grand Parents can be left out in case of a family with 3 children
Pre existing diseases are covered	Pre existing diseases are covered
Coverage: Rs 30000	Coverage: 1.5 Lakhs; up to 2.00 lakhs in special cases	Coverage is ideal and decent
OPD not covered	OPD covered. Follow up for one year after a major surgery	No provision in RSBY
Only few medical procedures which can be conducted in Rs. 30,000/- covered	942 medical procedures are covered including all major surgeries eg Open Heart and cancer related surgeries	Major advantage in Aarogyasri
Financial burden on State is higher inspite of very low coverage being Rs 500/- 850/- per family	Financial burden on State is less being only Rs 532/- per family of 4	Major advantage in Aarogyasri
	The disease load is progressively coming down. Initially it was Rs 380 for 330 procedures, now it is 532/- for 942 procedures	It is coming down because of better inbuilt controls and elaborate pre-screening of population and also follow up for one year after hospitalisation. These steps are not included in RSBY
Some States prefer RSBY because Central Govt pays 75% of expenses	Entire expenses are borne by the State. No Central Government grant
Sr Citizens living alone are considered as a family unit	Sr Citizens living alone are considered as a family unit	Same in both cases
	Very robust IT infrastructure	Does not exist in RSBY

** Though Aarogyasri scheme is meant to provide Health Security to BPL category, yet 82% population is covered under it because of very liberal definition of BPL.

Lantern Poems

Lantern Poems

 

Lantern Poems consist of Six lines; First and Last lines have mono syllabic words. The second ,third, fourth and fifth lines have two, three, four and five syllables. Whole poem , when centered, looks like a lantern. Here are my examples. Can I have some from my readers?               vyasamoorthy@gmail.com

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

God

Being

Always IS

Never ceases

I am that I am

God

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

Mad

Unreal

Thinking so

In addled brain

Imprisoning self

Sane

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

Go

Move

Displace self

Involving action

To?

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

Gay

Life is

Mind ,matter

Mixes for ever

Passing happiness

Stay

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

Boy

Arrogant

Bubbling Energy

Experimenting all

Enjoying everything

Boy

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

Aids

Homo

Transfusion

Bisexuality

Indiscrimating

Aids

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

 

 

 

When Internet connection fails

When Internet Connection fails

 

As a family we are heavy Internet Users. We have three laptops and one PC for three (myself and my daughters) of us – all connected to High Speed Internet Broad band Connection. I am on my PC eight  to ten hours a day. BSNL is our primary service provider and we have Tata Photon USB (wireless) account as a standby. Of late BSNL connection is almost always flaky and unreliable. For large urgent downloads we become desperate if the Net Connection fluctuates. It is a big problem if you are doing any online transaction like buying a railway ticket or transferring money for paying bills. In recent months the Net used to fail totally. Complaints take anywhere from two to ten days for rectification. This kind of personalized Internet outage makes us very upset, fidgety, nervous and even temporarily psychotic. The pain is written on our faces.

 

What do I do in such moments of distress? Besides cursing our luck, we try to carry on with 'non-internet-related' work. Go to a cyber café and manage essential work. Go to a friend's house for a couple of hours and grab his PC / laptop. Try completing all pending works that are Non-PC type of tasks.

 

As mail management contributes to major chunk of my work and I use Gmai, I downloaded & installed Offline Gmail. As the name implies you can manage email even if Internet is not available. Offline Gmail keeps important messages (you specify what to store on your disc) that you have received on your hard disk and also helps you compose messages and keep them ready for sending as soon as Connection is available. More than twice I installed and removed off line Gmail merely because it slowed down my PC very much. I just could not tolerate the low speed.

 

During the most recent Internet failure lasting for two days, I started exploring contents of my hard disk. What a discovery! Many lost files were recovered. I read many articles that I never remembered having written in the first place. Many e-books gathering e-dust got de-dusted and read. As reading long files was a strain to the eyes I listened to them using Adobe Reader's 'Read out files' option. Here I discovered how errors in punctuation marks in the original can distort reading out. It is important, I learnt, that we put a dot at the end of each sentence and leave a space before we begin next sentence. It was also very funny to listen to some foreign voice reading out Indian names (characters in stories) in my friend VK Narasimhan's e-book of short stories entitled: Pebbles on the Shore.

 

I have poured out the problems that I face and the alternatives I resort to when Internet fails. What do YOU do? Can you give me any tips in exchange, especially like techniques for stealing Net connection from your neighbor's wireless connection, if left unguarded?  

 

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

Five Tips to Victims of Elder Abuse

Five Tips to Victims of Elder Abuse

When senior citizens are abused on account of their defenseless
position by younger relatives or others 'Elder Abuse' takes place.
Senior Citizens have less capacity to fight for their own rights
because of diminishing health, poor health conditions, poverty, loss
of memory, and lack of money, inability to adjust to the present
generation or ignorance. The abuse may be financial, emotional and
mental, physical including sexual, verbal or constant threatening etc.

The son pressurizing his old aged father to transfer his property, the
daughter neglecting to take care physically when one is bed ridden,
not providing food, harassing by hurling verbal abuses and insults,
beating, deserting, cheating by taking away the old man's money – all
these are examples of elder abuse.

The problem should be addressed all sections of the society like: the
senior citizens themselves, abusers, friends and relatives, senior
citizens associations, counseling centers, police, government
organizations, NGOs etc. Here I shall give a few tips to senior
citizens – what they can do all by themselves.

1. Senior citizens should empower themselves with facts, information
and data required to face and tackle abuse. They should have phone
numbers and addresses of lawyers, doctors, police, pressure groups,
counseling centers and the like. They should read up and discuss with
peers and be knowledgeable. Ignorance of rights and the law in
particular is harmful and places the senior citizen in a vulnerable
position. Recently a senior citizen wrote a will that his son may not
accept fully. The old man thought that he had a lawful duty to read
out the contents before sealing and giving it to the lawyer. This is
because his father had done so several decades ago.

2. Senior citizens should join several associations and peer groups
like walkers clubs, prayer groups Day Care Centers etc. When abuse
occurs they should openly discuss it with others without feeling shy
or ashamed. One of the greatest hurdles in handling abuse is the
non-co-operation by the affected individuals. They most often feel:
"How can I complain against my own children?"

3. Senior Citizens must make themselves financially sound and
independent. They should never give away their property to their wards
or disclose all their assets to everyone. Where feasible they should
not hesitate to take Reverse Mortgage Loan and ensure a steady flow on
income.

4. Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act 2007
comes to the rescue of senior citizens who do not have money to live
and have to depend upon their sons / daughters etc. by law the wards
who are likely to inherit the senior citizen's property may be forced
tp pay a monthly sum to the old man for livelihood. The tribunals set
up for this purpose must dispose off appeals within three months and
the monthly payments may be up to Rs 10000/- Lawyers are not allowed
to represent the senior citizen. Senior Citizens Associations may help
file petitions. If the senior citizen is abandoned then the son
(abuser) may be sent to jail for three months. Indigent senior citizen
should not fight shy of making use of these provisions in law.

5. Taking recourse to legal provisions should be the last resort.
Having anger alone or standing on one's prestige alone is not enough.
Civil Suits take years to get decided and lot of time & time are
wasted. In my opinion only two people should go to court: the insane
and the lawyer, the first because he has nothing to loose and the
latter because ha can not afford not to. If one is dragged into a law
suit then it is a different matter. A senior citizen known to me is
bent upon filing a case because his daughter in law refuses to cook
for him!
========

The paradox of Generic Medicines: Who is the Culprit?

The paradox of Generic Medicines: Who is the Culprit?

Most of us are aware that Generic medicines are by far cheaper than
branded drugs of the same Chemical compound or molecule. For example
Paracetamil, most popular pain relieving medicine, is available as
CROCIN at Rs 16.8 for 15 tablets of 500mg and as METACIN at Rs 6.5 for
a strip of 10 tablets of 500mg. The difference is almost 100%.
However, these generic drugs are not available to public at *cheaper*
prices. However, they are stocked and sold by retailers, all the same.
Why? Let us analyze the reasons for this paradox.

It may surprise you to learn that the manufacturer prices the branded
drugs and generic drugs produced by him at almost the same MRP. The
manufacturer gets his share of 15% to 20% profit whether it is generic
or branded drug. In the case of branded drugs he sells through
distributors & stockists to retailers. Selling branded drugs also
involves huge marketing efforts costing money. As branded drug passes
through many hands before it reaches the consumer, there is little
chance of the retailer giving any big discount to consumer. Many
chemists offer 10% discount to beat competition and some big chains
like MedPlus who can afford to give more discount also offer the same
10% discount, thus making more profit. Medplus enjoys the power of
buying in bulk.

The story is different when it comes to generic drugs. In the case
of generics the manufacturer sells them through a single national
level distributor for entire country. The National level distributor
reaches the retailer via state level distributors. There is a huge
difference in MRP marked on the medicine and actual sale price to
National level distributor. The retailer gets a nominal trade
commission of about 15% to20% in the case of branded drugs and
anywhere between 60% to 200% commission on generic drugs. As both MRPs
are more or less similar, it is the last chain (thugs) of chemists /
pharmacists that eat away all the profits. Middlemen, in Generics
distribution are not very avaricious and take modest commissions.
There is not much high pressure selling or bribes involved in selling
generics. Ultimately the retailer enjoys maximum profit as he sells
both generic as well as branded drugs at the same MRP less 10%.

There is a big nexus between the doctor, the chemists, corporate
hospitals and manufacturers. Manufacturer bribes the doctor to
prescribe his brand. The chemist is again bribed to stock and give
preference to certain brand. Though many drugs are to be sold only
under prescription, as it is not mandatory to keep a copy of
prescription, chemists always say (lie) that they dispensed Schedule H
drugs only after seeing the prescription. As per law the chemist can
not even substitute a drug from one brand (or trade name) with another
unless the prescription is changed and re-validated. If the patient
wants to buy generic the doctor should prescribe it. He will not do so
because he is under big obligation for having enjoyed bribes. Most of
the time doctors are ignorant of trade names associated with generics.

The Government of Andhra Pradesh has come up with setting up 175 plus
Generic Medicine shops through out AP. This will be similar to Jan
Aushadhi shops started by the (central) Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare. The latter are an utter flop with empty shelves staring the
buyer; they are totally mismanaged. The end user prices are expected
to be highly attractive as these shops will buy in bulk from national
distributors cutting down all middlemen. In fact the AP govt has
already issued orders that all government doctors should prescribe
only generic drugs; a list running to some 80 pages of essential drugs
has been circulated.

Now who will bell the cat? Here are some suggestions. Request your
family physician to translate the Brand Name Prescription given by the
specialist to generic equivalents. He may oblige on account of long
standing relationship with your family. There are many senior citizens
who blindly believe that costlier the medicine, better will the
quality be. They need to be educated. Openly confront and tell your
local chemist shops (I have 15 medical shops within 1 km radius) that
they are looting the public; raise your voice and concern; mobilize
your friends in this venture.

Several senior citizens associations may join hands and buy generics
required by their members in bulk directly from local wholesalers. In
Hyderabad many such wholesalers (located in Inderbag, Sultan Bazar)
are offering large discounts (up to 50 to 60%) for direct individual
buyers.

As IRDA Chairman recently pointed out, during a seminar on Health
Insurance for Senior Citizens organized by HelpAge in Hyderabad, there
is nothing preventing anyone setting up shops specially for selling
generics to senior citizens and others. Three such shops have already
come up - one each in Hyderabad, Vijayawada and Guntur. Andhra Pradesh
Senior Citizens Confederation (APSCCON) has been playing a major role
in promoting such bold ventures. Many more such shops should spring
up. We should be united and win this battle against unjust nexus
working against us.

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

A Learn and Answer Quiz on Elder Abuse Terminology

If you are not tired of attempting quizzes, here is one more.

This one has been created by Vanwoja on 2/10/2010 (World Elders Day) and the best one I have seen. It is built on the Educational site www.quizlet.com

I scored 4/10 in first attempt and 9/10 in second attempt (after reinforcing my learning).

The Quiz that I had given by me focuses on EA and WEAAD concepts in general; This one focuses on Types of Elder Abuses.

Here (in the case of this specific quiz) you get an opportunity to learn several terms and phrases first; thereafter you may answer the quiz. If you are not satisfied you may learn again, ask for a changed quiz and answer it again. Excellent learning tool. Excellent teacher's Aid. The site has millions of quizzes on any conceivable topic! There are more interesting features about this wonderful site which I request the teachers in you to explore.

To take Vanwoja's Quiz click here:

A Learn and answer Quiz on Elder Abuse

As this quiz is not constructed by me I am not giving any certificate. Please feel free to give one to yourself. But tell the world that you learnt a bit about EA; That is more important.

Very shortly I shall add a Quiz on Quizlet on MWPSCA

Thanks How many of are learners?

Dr P Vyasamoorthy, 30 Gruhalakshmi Colony Secunderabad 500015 Ph 040-27846631 / 9490804278.My blog: http://vyasa-kaaranam-ketkadey.blogspot.com/

Stop Elder Abuse: Wear Purple on June 15th !!

Devices / Gadgets for good health (assistive devices)

Anoop Verma's short review of "Gadgets for good health" in "Dignity
Dialogue" June 2011 issue is worth reading.

Variant types of thermometers (keep it in your ear type, keep near the
body (non-contact) type), wrist watches that measure your BP, Pulse
rate, are mentioned. When a Rs 50 mercury thermometer
will give the temperature, will you spend rs 2550 just for the
convenience of non-contact feature? Two similar products - Wrist based
BP monitors - from same company - Omron - are mentioned without bringing
out the differences between the two. One way in which I benefited from
the Article is that I came to know that Amazon is a good source for
such products too. I thought Amazon is only for books chiefly.
=========

Dignity Dialogue has come a long way in terms of: get up, contents,
presentation and currency of topics; There is a section on discounts available to
members - this is worth looking into. It is worth subscribing and get
your own copy.

Dr P Vyasamoorthy, 30 Gruhalakshmi Colony Secunderabad 500015 Ph
040-27846631 / 9490804278.My blog:
http://vyasa-kaaranam-ketkadey.blogspot.com/

Stop Elder Abuse: Wear Purple on June 15th !!

HOw much of EA do you know?

How much do you know about Elder Abuse

June 15th 2011 is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. Won't you like to test yourself how much you know about Elder Abuse? Take this quick Quiz!!

What does INPEA stand for?

Indian Poor Elders Association
International Network of Prevention of Elder Abuse
International Network for Promotion of Elder Abuse
International Node for Elder Accused

What does WEAAD stand for?

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day
What Elder Abusers Always Do?
World Elders’ Abuse Alert Day
World Elders Action Avoidance Day

Following are common types of Elder Abuse: Pick odd man out

Physical Abuse
Financial Abuse
Neglect and abandonment
Providing money for subsistence

WEAAD was started in the year

1900
2006
2010
1980

What colour is worn on WEAAD to show solidarity among participants?

Yellow
Red
Green
Purple

Every year World Elder Abuse Awareness Day is observed on:

January 1st
December 25th
June 15th
October 1st

Activities suggested for WEAAD include:

Articles in the media, press and TV
Talking to children in school and grand kids
Counseling elders not to hide; asking them come out in the open
Making people take an Oath to prevent EA

According to a reputed HelpAge study on EA the victimizers are mostly

Nurses in Hospitals
Close relatives – son/ daughter / SIL / DIL
Bus drivers and conductors
Friends in Day Care Centers

Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act 2007 takes care of E

Financial and property abuse
Abandonment
Emotional and mental abuse
Physical and sexual abuse

Which city in India has maximum abusers?

Chennai
Kolkata
Bhopal
Pune

Thanks for answering this short Quiz. Hope that was easy. You and I have done our bit towards WEAAD. Please encourage your friends to take the test.

Pebbles on the shore - ebook from VKN

Our Sri VK Narasimhan  has written a series of short stories. I have taken the pleasure of putting some of them together (first batch as he calls them) as e-book. The pdf file is attached. sss-global members may like to read these stories and send their comments either to the group or directly to Sri VKN.

Many of you may be aware that because of acute glaucoma, VKN is highly constrained in his movements. His eyesight is very poor. He does not participate in social activities or meetings as earlier. Though 78 and having multiple problems to face, he has made up his mind to be active and productive. With the help of two dutiful grand daughters who take daily dictation and transcribe the text into PC, VKN has been managing to bring out these stories. 

I have read a few and will read the rest. I like them So will you. The pdf file can be re-compiled making it totally error free in due course. 

Dr P Vyasamoorthy, 30 Gruhalakshmi Colony Secunderabad 500015 Ph 040-27846631 / 9490804278.My blog: http://vyasa-kaaranam-ketkadey.blogspot.com/

MWPSCA - Act and Rules of various States on One Volume

I have put together Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act 2007 (bare Act) and Rules framed by various states. I could lay my hands on the following only. The entire compilation is one pdf file running to 6 MB. As some are drafts (example: AP), this volume is not final. If anyone can send Rules from other states not mentioned below or Revised versions if any known to them I shal be obliged. I am ready to re-compile the whole thing and make revised edition available. Contents of files are listed below. In the pdf the last page gives the index. Anyone interested may ask for a copy.

Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior cItizens Act 2007

And Rules framed there under in several states

Compiled and consolidated by Dr P VyasamoorthyCompiled and consolidated by Dr P Vyasamoorthy 

 

Sn	Title	Page
1	AP Appellate Tribunal Formation GO 2008WCDW_MS27.pdf	3
2	AP Draft Rules May 2011.doc        (hghly abridged?)	4
3	AP Go Effective date of implementation 829-2008.DOC	23
4	AP tribunal formation GO 2008WCDW_MS28.pdf	24
5	MWPSCA 2007 – Delhi Rules	25
5	Gujarat Rules MWPSCA .pdf	48
6	Kerala-senior_citizens _Rules_2009.pdf	52
7	Maha Sr. Maint Act Rules 2010.pdf	61
8	Mwpca-2007-daman-diu-rules.pdf	117
9	MWPCA 2007 - Tripura rules.pdf	146
10	Mwpsca-2007-AP-Rules-draft.pdf     (old 2009- not gazetted)	152
11	MWPSCA-2007-TN-Rules.pdf	176
12	mwpsca 2007 implementation status.doc	1
13	mwpsca  act 2007.pdf  Central Act Bare Act	192

Dr P Vyasamoorthy, 30 Gruhalakshmi Colony Secunderabad 500015 Ph 040-27846631 / 9490804278.My blog: http://vyasa-kaaranam-ketkadey.blogspot.com/

Bombay High Court asks courts to give preference for Senior Citizens cases

Bombay high court promises to bring respite to senior citizens
A little-known circular issued by the Bombay high court promises to
bring respite to senior citizens, who have been caught in the web of
litigations. The HC has decided that preference should be given to
cases where either of the parties involved in the court matter has
attained the age of 60 years and above.
The circular was issued after the approval of the chief justice and
judges of the Bombay HC. It is applicable to all benches of the HC as
well as its subordinate courts. It also states that precedence to
elders may be allowed only after a written application is made before
the court. The new rule is applicable to court hearings as well as
final disposal of cases.
A circular issued in 1999 had set the age limit at 65 years and above.
But the recent circular is going to benefit more citizens as it has
brought the age limit down to 60 years.
Advocate Vinod Sampat, president of Cooperative Societies Residents,
Users and Welfare Association, said the clause could be beneficial in
cases where residents were collectively fighting an issue. For example
, if a cooperative society is moving the court on an issue, it would
be wise to make a senior citizen the petitioner. This may help in
getting the matter expedited in court, he said.
Though the circular was issued recently, not many lawyers are aware
about it. Advocate Mihir Desai conceded that he did not know about the
existence of such a circular. Nonetheless , it is a good move to
reduce the age limit because most of the citizens also attain
retirement at this age, Desai said.
But there are problems. The huge backlog of cases, vacancies in the
judiciary and the need to attend to other cases of priority are some
of the reasons because of which not all senior citizens can benefit
from this rule, Desai said.
Advocate M P Vashi said: Once, during his stint with the Bombay HC,
Justice R M Lodha commented that 70% to 80% cases involved senior
citizens as parties. If this is the scenario, how can senior citizens
expect to get preference in court matters He said courts should fix a
particular date on which cases of senior citizens should be taken up
without fail.

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Source:
http://www.lawyersclubindia.com/forum/details.asp?mod_id=16158&offset=1
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Dr P Vyasamoorthy, 30 Gruhalakshmi Colony Secunderabad 500015 Ph
040-27846631 / 9490804278.My blog:
http://vyasa-kaaranam-ketkadey.blogspot.com/

Apsccon Minutes of meetings

Minutes of several important meetings conducted by APSCCON in several places like Guntur Vijayawada Kadappa Tadepalligudam ere can be found in one Place .

Investing in Stock Markets after retirement

This is an invited article; If there is interest among our readers I shall try to get more such investment advice. Opinions are not mine, please note! Vyasamoorthy

How & Why Should you invest in Stock Markets Even After Your Retirement?

Inflation and Retirement

Most Retirees feel great getting a bulk sum as provident fund and gratuity, and wish they knew a magician, who could spin their money 2 to 3 times in just 5 years, in addition to ensuring a regular return for their day to day expenses. It is true we all want it to keep up with the inflation rate in the market. I know of no such magicians, and it is practically not possible to multiply your money 2 to 3 times in just 5 years. But I definitely know of smart investment planning and investment advisors that could help you to beat inflation.

A step by step look at your considerations to come out with smart calculated investment decisions:

¨ Post-retirement, you know that you would no longer earn a regular income and would have to stay on your savings, provident fund, gratuity, and other benefits that have been given to you. You would definitely want more good returns on your investments, but your appetite for risk is low, for you would not want to lose your precious savings. So you would prefer to shift your portfolio of investment from risky ones to safer ones like fixed deposits in banks and good rated companies.

¨ However your need for more income, capital gains to keep up with inflation, and rates of interest on fixed deposits decreasing each year may make you puzzled about coping up with the increased financial needs. You, as a senior citizen are lucky to be getting additional interest, however taxes leave you with not much more. However you are not prepared to subject your savings to the volatile bullish and bearish trends of the share market of over-confidence and pessimism.

¨ You retire at 60, considering 5% is the rate of inflation annually, with life span as 85, and spending Rs.20000 per month, you would require a retirement corpus of Rs.42,00,000 if the return rate was 8%, while you would require Rs.47,00,000 if the return rate was only 7%. I am sure you would invest smart, reducing your retirement corpus by 10.5% by just investing for 1% more return.

¨ It is true that stocks and shares gave an annual compounded return of 17 to 18% in the last 15 years, with long term stocks giving a compounded returns of about 15 to 18% annually. However you have not appetite for risky and volatile investments, and may want to play safe with low or moderate risk to capital and in not putting all your eggs in one basket or to divide your risk.

¨ After your retirement you would do best to follow the advice of financial experts and invest no more than 10 to 20% of your retirement corpus in shares and stocks. A novice to the share market, or lack of time, inclination or shrewdness may not prove right to deal in the share market, and most financial advisors advice senior citizens to invest in mutual funds. These companies have experienced fund managers and researchers with in-depth knowledge of various industries and valuation principles and also offer diversified investment options in shares in companies, debt instruments and government securities.

¨ The choice of retirees should be to invest in big cap funds, funds investing in huge paid-up capital companies, while mid cap funds suit those who do not mind medium risk-taking. However small cap funds, invested mostly in start-up companies are to be avoided, being highly volatile in nature.

¨ Time plays a vital role in investment in mutual funds, and a good investment advisor would advice you appropriately. The best option for senior citizens would be to first invest a lump sum in a debt based funds that promise good, safe and regular return. This could be followed up by a systematic investment/transfer plan of investing or transferring through ECS regularly a fixed amount for units of a mutual fund. This definitely proves beneficial to take advantage of the volatility of the market, as buying different number of units each month helps to spread the risk also.

A Final Thought:

However your smart calculated investment choice of mutual funds requires evaluating every 3 to 6 months. This would help switching between mutual funds at the right time. My last but most important advice again especially to senior citizens is never go in for stock trading in a big way without proper knowledge and inclination and lose due to volatility of stock and share market.

(The author is Ramalingam K, an MBA (Finance) and Certified Financial Planner. He is the Founder and Director of Holistic Investment Planners (www.holisticinvestment.in) a firm that offers Financial Planning and Wealth Management. He can be reached at ramalingam@holisticinvestment.in )