Elders Helpline in Bengaluru goes 24/7

Elders Helpline in Bengaluru goes 24/7

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

Elders Helpline 1090, a joint project of Bengaluru City Police and Nightingales Medical Trust has completed 15 years of dedicated service to the elderly in Bangalore city.

From 26^th April 2017, Elders Helpline service becomes operational on 24 hours basis   

Bangalore has a current estimate of over 10 Lakh senior citizens. Of these, about 3 lakh elders face some form of physical, emotional and/or financial abuse; elders are also becoming easy targets for crimes. Getting reliable help in such instances, especially in the night, is a challenge to most elders. Elders Helpline working 24/7 will give vulnerable elders added assurance and benefit a larger number.

Being the first project of this kind in the country, the Elders Helpline 1090, has so far received over 1.6 lakh calls in the past 15 years.  8662 complaints of serious nature were registered with over 52% of the complaints being successfully resolved by counselors and social workers with the support of police and lawyers. The nature of the complaints is mainly ill treatment by family members, financial exploitation, property disputes and cheating by service providers. All the services of the Helpline are free.

The 24/7 service of Elders Helpline was launched on 26^th April by the Sri. Praveen Sood, IPS at the auditorium in Police Commissioner’s  office, Infantry Road, Bangalore-560001- on the occasion of the 15^th Anniversary of Elders Helpline

Helpline for senior citizens from January 26, 2010 [Ahmadabad]

Helpline for senior citizens from January 26
ahmedabad Posted: Thursday , Jan 14, 2010 at 0413 hrs Ahmedabad:

In an effort to help the senior citizens, the Gujarat Police have planned a toll-free helpline number 1096.

The helpline will begin from January 26, Director General of Police S S Khandwawala said.

He said the helpline will be connected to the Police Control Room (PCR) to extend day-long services to the senior citizens.

"This is a free service that will enable every senior citizen to seek help in all matters. With this number, any query or problems would reach us in minutes. If they require any housekeeping persons, the police will crosscheck the candidates' background, criminal records, among others." said Khandwawala.

He added: "The old people can use this service for emergency health issues, for ambulance services, among others. They will also be able to get police protection in the event of burglaries or any other untoward incident; police help will just be a call away."

Helpline for senior citizens from January 26 (14 January 2010)
 http://www.indianexpress.com/news/helpline-for-senior-citizens-from-january-26/567248/
 http://snipurl.com/u2ncy

==========

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.
==========

Cops start helpline for elders (Allahabad)

Cops start helpline for elders

Kapil Dixit , TNN 15 October 2009, 09:38pm IST

ALLAHABAD: Elderly can now heave a sigh of relief. The police
department has launched a helpline for senior citizens asking them to
register
their complaints/grievances on it and police would be at their
doorstep for immediate help.

The move comes following some brutal killings of elderly people and
increased cases of attacks on them in the district.

DIG\SSP Chandraprakash told TOI, "We have started receiving complaints
from senior citizens on the helpline and the police stations concerned
have been asked to get in touch with the complainants and sort their
problems grievances at the earliest." He said that cops have been
strictly told to offer immediate help to the elderly and that any
laxity on their part would be invite punishment.

Meanwhile, senior police officials have appealed to senior people to
register their complaints on the helpline. Further, the police will
not disclose the identity of the complaints who want to register
complaints without revealing their names. There many elders in the
city who are humiliated by their own families. Such people want to use
the helpline but want to keep their identities hidden fearing a
backlash from their family members.

Wednesday killing, where an aged couple was put to death in Handia,
has again raised the issue of safety of elderly in the district. In
fact, this was the seventh case reported in the city after Lukerganj
incident when an elderly was done to death. In Lukerganj, a
85-year-old person was found murdered in his room. The case is yet to
be sorted out.

"These incidents have not only rocked the entire city but have also
instilled fear in the senior citizens in the city and adjoining
areas," said 72-year-old R K Pandey. However, grievances of elderly
could be addressed if police officials make some sincere efforts,'' he
added.

Cops too admit that the security of senior citizens, for long, has
remained a cause of concern in the district. ``Earlier, there was no
proper mechanism in place to ensure security for elderly, but with
this helpline things can be better for them,'' said a cop.

Meanwhile, the police are also busy updating the records of senior
citizens thana wise. In the past eight months, nine senior citizens
were killed and 23 others looted and assaulted in the district.

The senior police authorities have assured that they would hold
regular meetings with elderly people and would hear their grievances
besides telling them about some security measures. Old people,
especially those residing in isolated colonies, often end up as soft
targets for the criminals.

Many senior citizens are also victims of domestic misbehaviour and
violence, with no proper mechanism in place to ensure their safety.
Even police admit that besides becoming gullible targets to criminals,
many senior citizens are subjected to domestic abuse. Many victims,
however, fear banishment from the family refrain from lodging a
complaint with the police.

Police officials have issued instructions to beat in-charges asking
them to immediately respond to any complaint from an elderly person.
The rationale behind this is that beat in-charges, owing to their
proximity to an area, can immediately rush to the help of elderly.

Helpline Number -- 0532-2440700, 2250600

Elderly persons can now meet DIG/SSP Chandraprakash every Thursday
between 12 noon and 1pm and narrate their problems to him.

In A Nutshell
* Police to popularise its elderly helpline
* Elderly records are yet to be updated thana wise
* A total of nine murder cases of elderly reported in past eight
months in the district.
* Scheme to prompt disposal of complaints underway.
* Each day, three or four complaints being put up before senior cops.
* Plan of updating the list of old age and childless couples now see the light.
* Couples demanding to take their cases to fast track for speedy disposal.
Safety measures
* Facility of private security guard can be avail after proper verification.
* Jewellery, extra cash and costlier articles should be kept in bank lockers
* Services of domestic help, milkman, and other helpers should be
availed only after proper police verification.
* Elderly can seek help from neighbours/acquaintances at the times of
crisis. They can also helped by alarm systems.
* Always have police officials mobile/landline numbers for help.
============
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/allahabad/Cops-start-helpline-for-elders/articleshow/5128499.cms

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

Good response to senior citizens’ helpline (Ahmadabad)

Good response to senior citizens' helpline

The helpline receives 10-15 calls a day from elderly people seeking
help with civic issues, information about government schemes or with
complaints about harassment by children and neighbours

By Dilip Patel
Posted On Thursday, October 29, 2009 at 02:51:11 AM

The state government has decided to set up four homes for senior
citizens in the state at a cost of Rs 32 lakh
We usually consult our family elders for guidance when faced with a
dilemma. But who do the senior citizens turn to, in times of need,
especially when living alone or being neglected by their children?

To address this concern, the state social welfare department started a
helpline for senior citizens on October 1. The helpline, run by the
state IT department, is receiving very good response from the elderly,
sources said.

Social Welfare Minister Fakirbhai Vaghela said, "Our state has 40 lakh
citizens aged 60 and above. The helpline (18002335500) receives 10-15
calls a day. The calls are from senior citizens who are living alone
or are being harassed by their children, neighbours or
daughters-in-law, seeking help. Some call up to get information about
government schemes for senior citizens."

The complaints are diverted to the social welfare department, where
the officers take up individual cases and call up the senior citizens
to solve their problems.

"In case of crime-related complaints, social welfare officials
accompany the citizens to the police station to help them register
their complaint. If their children are not ready to keep them, we make
arrangements for their stay at a senior citizen's home," Vaghela
added.

New old age homes to be set up
The state government has decided to set up four senior citizens' homes
in the state at a cost of Rs 32 lakh, including one in Gandhinagar.
Sources said NGOs will be given grants of Rs 600 per senior citizen if
they are willing to run these homes.

At present, there are 145 NGOs working for senior citizens in the
state and 24 such homes run but the state government. In case of
public-private partnership, the government is read to provide land to
set up such homes.

Vaghela said, "Orphaned or homeless children may also be housed in
senior citizen homes. The children, who don't have parents or
guardians, can learn values from the elderly. The senior citizens in
turn will enjoy the company and affection of these kids."

The social welfare department is also planning to adopt the children
of HIV-positive couples and keep them in children's homes, if their
parents so desire. There are currently 1.44 lakh AIDS patients in the
state.
=======
Source:
http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?page=article&sectid=3&contentid=2009102920091029025111468e57a706&sectxslt=
=====

Toll free Helpline for Ragging

Toll-free helpline for ragging

(A toll-free helpline for dealing with ragging has been set up by the University Grants Commission. The helpline will be operational round-the-clock. Immediate action will be taken within fifteen minutes by alerting appropriate authorities)

UNIVERSITY GRANTS Commission (UGC) has set up a toll-free helpline for dealing with ragging. Any victim of ragging can ring up the toll-free number 18001805522 or send an email to helpline@antiragging.net. The helpline will be operational round the clock. Immediate action will be taken within fifteen minutes by alerting appropriate authorities, be it the head of the educational institution, the district collector or the police. The monitoring of progress of follow-up activities will also included.

The anti-ragging guidelines issued by UGC defines ragging in a broader way to consider all activities that constitute ragging. They are applicable to all educational institutions both in government and public sectors including transport facilities. The culprits may be 'rusticated' for four sessions or fined up to 2.5 lakhs

The Supreme Court had recommended setting up of such a helpline only in May 2009.
The helpline is already in place now in June 2009, well ahead of the next academic session. UGC and the Ministry of HRD must be complimented on this fast move. Reports of appreciation and high hopes have come in from all sections like students, educational authorities and social activists.

The helpline will accelerate the process of booking of culprits, investigations and such follow-up actions. Success in this sphere may improve compliance on the part of college authorities; may encourage more victims to register their complaints; it may also bring about some transparency as the progress of cases in ragging will be on the website for everyone to see.

However, preventing ragging can be achieved only by changing the mindset of students. The same students who protest and detest ragging by seniors, engage in ragging when they become seniors. This is a psychological problem of just feeling superior. Only consistent counseling and constant vigil may prevent ragging.