Register for Special Computer Class for Senior Citizens

After sucess of Pilot project ,"Silver Inning Foundation" in association with "Sterlite Foundation" is pleased to announce the commencement of registration for our 2nd Batch for Computer Education for Senior Citizens.

In first batch we trained 50 Seniors ,Now we are ready with 12 centers in Mumbai.

Retirement is mandatory at a certain age for those who are in employment and voluntary for the self-employed. Whether it is at 50, 58, 60 or 65, it brings some sudden changes and harsh adjustments for which seniors are little prepared. Suddenly they find themselves without work, without contact with their co-workers and without any goal to look forward to. Though computers are a necessity for communicating with their children residing abroad the seniors find it difficult to overcome this fear though technology has never been restricted to a particular age group or strata of society.

We have set our goal to Train seniors in computers (feared by many seniors), helping them develop a liking and make them comfortable with technology, promote voluntary work (to utilize their time) and learning at the centers after the training.

The seniors are given an opportunity to come back to the Sterlite Training center and volunteer by helping out at the centre and simultaneously learning. We want to implement the idea “TEACH AND LEARN”.

Senior Citizens Computer Centers at Mumbai :

Marine Lines,Tardeo,Lower Parel,Andheri,Goregaon,Ulhasnagar,Vithalwadi,Shahad,Mulund,Ghatkopar and Koparkhairne.

Fees: Rs.225/-

Term :2 Months

Days: 3 days a week

Time:One hour - Between12 to 3 pm

So to Register pls contact :

Sterlite Foundation - 022- 22826005,22810418 / 09322512096

Silver Inning Foundation- 09987104233

PS: We also Invite application for new centers to start computer course for social cause any where in Mumbai / India.

Warm Regards,
Sailesh Mishra

Founder President - Silver Innings Foundation,A dedicated Organisation for Elders and their Family Members

Respect your elders. Value their experience

SENIOR CITIZENS of India are being alienated - either in their own homes or in exclusive homes, called euphemistically, ‘old age homes’. Sons and daughters live with their parents until they start a family. Once they start a family, they start treating their parents as ones from another family.

The resultant separation has two dimensions to it. One is physical separation and the other is emotional separation. Indian law provides for the son or the daughter to acquire a new ration card once the son or daughter gets married. The ration card so issued keeps out the names of the parents. This is the first instance of separation.

The second is emotional separation, arising from the daughter-in-law ill-treating her in-laws. The son, instead of raising his voice to her, moves the parents to an old age home. If the couple is working abroad, the aged parents are moved to old age homes to ensure their safety.

The desire for nuclear family on the part of the young couples results in the alienation of the parents. For the youngsters, the immediate issue is their personal lives and not taking care of their aged parents. Youngsters must realise that they are what they are only because of their parents and other elders.

At a certain point of time, the teens begin to believe that they are capable of leading lives on their own. The attractive salary packages the youngsters are able to command even at the beginning of their career leads them to believe that they are superior to the previous generation. But in the process, they miss out on the positives that the emotional bonding between the two generations can bring about.

Youngsters must understand that the number of years they have been on this planet (or their age) is at best equal to the experience of the elders, in terms of the number of years. They must value the suggestions of their elders since such suggestions are culled from valuable experience. During childhood, parents make us comfortable by showering love, care and affection on us. They provide moral, economic and emotional support to the children.

But once the children take off, they leave their parents in the lurch. Factors such as modernisation, westernisation and globalisation lead our youngsters to lose their faith in the joint family system. Globalisation has led to our elders leading a lonely life. The ill-informed youngsters blindly fall for globalisation and insult the parents – the very people who have made the youngsters what they are. Youngsters must understand that they will become old too; the next generation may treat them the same way they treated their own parents. Father is the role model for the child. If a young father ill-treats his father, the child, having witnessed it at close quarters, will treat its own father the same way, once it grows up.

My dear youngsters please do not forget that what goes around comes around. Respect your elders. Value their experience. Share their feelings. Lend a helping hand to them. Remember, you are what you are, because of them.



By Itzmecharu


Source : http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=143681

Report of World Elders Day 2008: UMANG -Senior Citizen Talent Show

UMANG

Senior Citizen’s Talent Show

1^st October 2008

INTRODUCTION:

On the occasion of World Elders Day’2008 on 1^st October’2008, Silver Inning Foundation organized a program for Elderly. The main purpose of this program was to provide a platform for Elderly to display their talents. This was not a competition between Elderly but a forum to encourage them to demonstrate their hidden talent. This idea came about during a meeting with members of FESCOM .Mr.Vijay Aundhe , General secretary of FESCOM reported that cultural programs are organized for seniors but no programs are held in which seniors perform for others. He informed us that there is no platform where seniors could show their stage talent.

Information about this event was given on Silver Innings website www.silverinnings.com and through other net base groups. Ten entries for different art performances (skit, one act play, singing, street play, mimicry, drama) were invited for the program. There were some elders who got information about UMANG on the website and we visited some senior citizen associations to inform them about the program.

PROGRAM REPORT:

This program was held on 1^ST October’2008 at Gala Community Hall in Santacruz (West) from 4.00 to 6.00 pm. Around 85 people were present for this program. Although 10 entries were invited for this program, in all we got 21 entries, but 16 could actually attend the programme. There was no chief guest for the program as all our seniors were chief guests. Ms.Roshan John from Sterlite Foundation and Representative from S.V.T.College of Home Science (SNDT Juhu) were also present as special Invitees. Ms. Amruta Lovekar was the emcee for the program and Mr. Sailesh Mishra conducted the vote of thanks and was also in charge of logistics and Event Management. Mr. Bhavesh Chheda was responsible for photographs of all the participants and Ms. Neha was in charge of timing each performance. Mrs. Mona actively volunteered for the program. Special acknowledgment was given to Dr.Ajay Hora of Gala community hall and Raj Decorator.

The performances were as follows:

1. Mrs. Sunita Khare : Explanation of humorous Sanskrit shlokas

2. Mr. Shivkalyan Lovekar : Bhajan

3. Mrs. Prabha Jog : Story telling

4: Mr. Arun Gadre : Mimicry and Singing

5. Mr. Padmakar Helekar : Jokes on driving

6. Mrs. Prabha Kavre : Natya sangeet

7. Mrs. Veena Prabhu : Natya sangeet

8. Mrs. Vatsala Pol : One act play

9. Mrs. Vimla Goenka : Marwari dance

10. Mrs. Pratibha Dattani : Brazilian dance

11. Mr. H.R. Shenoy : Singing

12. Laughter group : Laughter song

13. Mrs. Bharati Pandya : One act play

14. Mrs. Sudha Joshi : Thoughts on ageing

15. Mrs. John : Poem on life

16. Mrs. Malti Vaze : One act play

All the participants performed enthusiastically and were happy to perform on stage. The Elderly had a nice time and enjoyed each moment. They just rocked. Certificates of appreciation were given to all participants. From Print Media: Times of India – West Side and Hindustan Times & from Electronic Media: National Channel Doordarshan – Shayadri covered the event.

The response has been extremely encouraging and Silver Inning Foundation announced to make UMANG an annual event.

About Silver Inning Foundation: It is a dedicated NGO for Senior citizens and their family , registered under Society Registration Act of 1860 vides registration number 1300/2008/GBBSD dated 14/07/2008.

Reported by Amruta Lovekar – Director Programme and Service, Silver Inning Foundation

Old Environment Helps Dementia Residents

The thought of ending your days in a sterile, uncaring institution is terrifying - but it needn't be so.

There's a revolution going on in a care home in North Yorkshire where uplifting treatment is having a profound effect on residents.

You can see it in the beaming faces of those who live at Threshfield Court, the smiles of the staff, the buzz of energy that fills the brightly furnished rooms.

The home is a far cry from the gloomy image of elderly people left to sit staring into space, their bodily functions taken care of but their emotional state neglected.

That's because at Memory Lane emotional well-being is the top priority. And given that there are 700,000 people with dementia in the UK - a number predicted to soar to one million by 2025 - it's an issue that will affeect every family.

Here, the mantra is "feelings matter most" and the place is so full of old items designed to jog fading memories that it looks more like a lovingly put-together museum.

In a nook in the corridor is an old-fashioned Silver Cross pram and a full-sized cot with a doll tucked under a blanket.

The kitchen area, where residents can help bake cakes for afternoon tea, has a cool-touch hob, 50s Bovril adverts on the walls and old-fashioned scales.

There's also a desk and typewriter in the activities room, wood off-cuts, sandpaper and joinery tools, an indoor and outdoor garden, and various laundry paraphernalia, including an old washboard.

There is even a wedding dress and veil pinned to one wall which many male and female residents like to ponder over, because the image holds memories for most people.

The home's General Manager Valerie Gains says: "One of the most poignant things I've ever seen here was a man staring out of the window on a lovely day then smiling into the pram and giving it a shake to see if his baby was OK.

"One lady couldn't sleep unless the cot was in her room and she knew her baby was sleeping. She fed it at mealtimes and cuddled it.

"They know the dolls aren't real babies. But the urge to nurture is such a natural feeling and we all like to feel we're needed. Why deny these people such a nice, comforting emotion?"

Walking down the hall, we are greeted with a big smile by 83-year-old Betty Simpson. Her favourite place is the sewing corner where there is an old Singer sewing machine, lots of material, 60s patterns and rolls of yarn.

Betty, who likes Noel Edmonds and the Royal Family - although not Camilla - doesn't sew. She just likes sitting here and touching the objects which might once have been so familiar to her.

She also has tissue paper wrapped around her head and tucked neatly under a hairnet.

"We don't know why Betty likes to have tissue wrapped around her like that," explains Sheena, quietly.

"But we do know that if we took it away she'd be upset." Some residents are referred here by the Social Services, others are funded privately which costs from £550 a week. Keeping them all happy is a requirement of the job.

In the lounge, activities organiser Helen Hepworth is cheek-to-cheek with an elderly man, both singing Strangers in the Night. Care assistant Vicky Hallewell is sat with a white-haired lady who is thumbing through picture books.

Others are helping residents explore a "school days" box, which contains jotters, pencils, stickers - even an apple for the teacher.

"We have trained nurses on duty 24 hours a day, but the difference with our team members and other care home staff is all in the attitude and the heart," says Valerie. "At interviews I'll ask if they can sing or dance and invite them to join in with me. If they do so happily, it shows they have the right attitude.

"If a resident wants to get up at 4pm, that's fine. Do the gardening in their pyjamas because it makes them happy, why not? If they want to eat lunch in a corridor, that's OK.

"It's not all about activities. It's about chatting to someone in a corridor, letting them touch your face. The pleasure they get from holding your hand. Heart is something that's missing in many care homes. People are scared to use the word love. It's more about becoming their best friends because their relationships at this stage of their journeys change."

Every ornament and stick of furniture has been chosen carefully. There are boxes of costume jewellery, pine cones, hair rollers - anything that might capture the interest or recall a former time.

People with dementia often have trouble reading, so on residents' doors are pictures of their favourite things. Harry's door has a cricketer, Shirley's has a baby, while on Betty's is a snap of Noel Edmonds.

Dolls and nick-nacks may seem an odd sort of therapy, but Neil Hunt, CEO of the Alzheimer's Society says: "Reminiscence therapy can prompt long-term memories and unlocking these memories can empower people with dementia.

"It can give confidence at a time when they may get anxious because they can't remember things that have happened in the short-term."

Sheena Wyllie, of Barchester Healthcare, which runs Memory Lane, adds: "With dementia you lose logic and reasoning.

"What you have left is your emotions, which become much stronger.

"Without the words to convey those emotions, feelings are expressed in their behaviour.

"Until now care homes looked after residents in a functional way - ensuring they washed, had meals and were helped to the loo. But it's just as important that their feelings are looked after, too."

"We're not denying that dementia is traumatic. It's hard if your dad doesn't recognise you and you hear him call a carer 'son'.

"But with an enlightened approach, dementia doesn't have to be a big, black place. We have a lot of fun here.

"There's a lot of joy to be had for people with dementia - we just have to learn to unlock it."

Numbers to bear in mind

2 out of 3 people with late onset dementia are still living at home with their families

£11 what UK spends a year on research, for every sufferer

60 per cent of all 65+ residents in homes have dementia

700,000 the number of Brits currently suffering from some form of dementia

£6billion is what unpaid carers of relatives with dementia save the economy every year

17bn the annual cost of dementia to the UK.

Source:http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2008/10/03/exclusive-how-new-care-home-helps-dementia-sufferers-make-the-most-of-life-115875-20768531/

Yoga classes stretch mind, as well as body, of Alzheimer's patients

"We are going to play a fun little game, and it requires concentration," Patrice Flesch told her yoga students. Holding up her hands, she quickly extended and retracted her fingers. Her students repeated the motion.

When Flesch pressed her palms together and sat cross-legged, she asked, "Does anyone remember this pose?"

One student blurted out the answer: "The goddess pose!"

Words like "concentration," "focus," and "recall" figure highly into Flesch's class: yoga for the memory-challenged. Twice a month, Flesch tailors breathing and exercises for people with Alzheimer's, dementia, and other conditions involving memory loss.

Her thinking: By stretching the body, you relax the mind, which in turn makes it easier to concentrate and remember tasks at hand. The class also serves as a social gathering, providing a place to meet other patients, even if they may not remember one another.

Although variations of yoga have been used to relax the sick and frail, Flesch's holistic approach is unique. She treats her students in a way that lends them grace, dignity, and a sense of control over a disease that can often make them feel powerless.

"It's very grounding. It makes you pay attention, which relates to memory," said Flesch, a commercial photographer and yoga instructor for 35 years. "The yoga trains your mind to focus. Removing stress helps you be able to concentrate more."

Flesch owns South End Yoga studio, but her memory classes are held at the Rogerson House, an adult day care and residential facility in Jamaica Plain. Each class enrolls fewer than 10 people, most of whom are elderly.

Yoga has played a role in relaxation and gentle exercise for some people with Alzheimer's, according to the Alzheimer's Association Massachusetts/New Hampshire chapter. In some cases, a caregiver participates with the person. In others, people with early stage Alzheimer's continue their own practice of yoga.

Similar classes have launched recently. In Pensacola, Fla., a class called "Super Brain Yoga" combines movement with breath to energize brain activity for adults with memory loss. In Australia, an Alzheimer's and memory community center began a free yoga class for caregivers and people with memory issues.

A study released last year during the Alzheimer's Association's International Conference on the Prevention of Dementia in Washington, D.C., found that regular meditation can bolster cognitive function for people with memory loss.

Whether they meditate alone or in a yoga class, patients will reap benefits, said Dr. Paula Raia, director of patient care and family support at the Alzheimer's Association's local chapter. As Alzheimer's and dementia ravage the brain, sufferers can become agitated and prone to anxiety. Gradually they experience a loss of memory, intellect, and social skills. Their grip on reality progressively slips away.

"The yoga could help the person remain mobile for periods of time," Raia said. "That relaxation reaction, as a result of the mindfulness that the yoga promotes, will cause the person to sleep better, be less agitated and more calmer. It's also a social opportunity. They are getting opportunities to meet other people with Alzheimer's so they feel they are not alone. So it's killing several birds with one stone."

'You have the power'

Flesch began teaching these specialized classes 11 years ago after photographing Rogerson House seniors for promotional brochures. She believed that yoga might keep them active, both physically and mentally.

"I thought, 'Wouldn't it be interesting to try and work with Alzheimer's,' " she recalled. "I went online to research it, and there was absolutely nothing. That made me want to do it even more."

Flesch alters poses and movements from her traditional yoga to make them more cognitive. She emphasizes hand movements, repetition, and chanting. At a recent class, eight people - two in wheelchairs - sat in a circle as soothing music played. Lanky and barefoot, Flesch led the class in a series of poses.

Like a patient schoolteacher, she cheerily nudged the students to stretch their fingers wide and make a fist. "This pumps blood into the wrists and gets your circulation going," she explained. "We are all following a sequence."

The class performed a gamut of exercises. They rotated their wrists and looped their arms like backstrokes. They also stretched their legs while rotating their ankles. All smiles, the students eagerly followed along.

Near the end of the class, the group executed the yoga warrior pose. They lunged forward, hands pointed skyward.

"Get in touch with all that strength and power inside you!" Flesch roared. "You have the power! You have the courage! You are in control!"

Her students repeated her mantras. Sister Brigid Courtney, 64, was one of them.

"It's very good to relax and be totally focused on what you are doing," said Courtney, a member of the Sisters of the Episcopalian Society of St. Margaret's Convent in Roxbury.

Like some of her yoga classmates, her memory loss began with everyday things. She misplaced keys in her bedroom. She tried to brew coffee in the laundry room instead of the kitchen. She forgot why she visited certain rooms in her convent.

"It's kind of nerve-wracking and frustrating. It takes so long to put yourself together," said Courtney, her house keys attached to a wristband key chain so she won't lose them.

"I may put something down and not remember where I put it. Sometimes I can't get the right word out of my mouth. I will mix up letters."

Courtney said yoga has given her some solace. "It keeps you in touch with your body," she said during stretches. "It's a refreshing thing."

By Johnny Diaz

Source:http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/articles/2008/09/30/breath_lives_memory/?page=full

Only 11 states in India have senior citizens’ maintenance law

The UPA government’s hopes to implement the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act 2007 pan India by October 1—International day for older persons—have been dashed to earth.

The Act, which aims to protect the rights of senior citizens and has provisions like 3-month jail to children who abandon their parents, has been implemented by only 11 states so far.

The states that have come on board to implement the Act are Nagaland, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Assam, Kerala, Tripura, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Orissa. Perturbed by other states’ tardiness, the minister of social justice and empowerment Meira Kumar has written to the respective state governments expecting they notify the Act soon.

Currently, the Centre provides financial assistance to old age homes across the country.

The Act also envisages setting up of old age homes by states in a phased manner. However, the number of old age homes receiving the assistance has fallen consistently over the last three years. From 320 old age homes in 2005-06, the number slipped to 240 in 2007-08. This has happened despite a raise in the allocated funds from Rs10.60 crore in 2006-07 to Rs11.05 crore in 2007-08.

When asked about this anomaly, Kumar said the current provisions as well as those framed under the Act put the onus of implementation on state governments. “We have raised the funds for such schemes. Rest is in the hands of states,” Kumar said.

Elaborating on other provision of the Act Kumar said, “There are several instances where a member of the family or a relative gets the property of a senior citizen transferred in his/her name either on the pretext of looking after them or by coercion and leave them uncared for. To address such problems, the Act has provisions to declare such transfers void. Also, the senior citizen can claim his property back”.

To ensure the security of senior citizens, the Act requires states to prescribe an action plan to the Centre.

“The number of old people who are economically self-sufficient and are living alone voluntarily or involuntarily is increasing day by day. They are becoming soft targets of anti-social elements. It is therefore essential to have a suitable mechanism to protect their lives and property. The Act requires the state governments to prescribe a comprehensive action plan for the same,” Kumar said.

Source:http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Only-11-states-on-board-so-far-for-senior-citizens--maintenance-law/368347/

Senior citizens demand 'National Commission for Aged'

With welfare and protection of senior citizens becoming a major concern, the demand for setting up of a National Commission for Aged on the lines of National Commission for Women is gaining momentum.
A large group of elders came here all the way from remote parts of the country asking the government to set up a commission for them and demanded it to recognise older people as "a specific vulnerable group under national human rights and humanitarian law".

The group submitted a 14-point memorandum to the government demanding, among others, equal access to gainful employment for those who are able and willing, healthcare, setting up of geriatric wards in hospitals and separate outpatient counters, health insurance schemes and simplified pension procedures.

HelpAge India, an organisation working for the welfare of the elderly, has also submitted a similar memorandum to Union Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal.

Apart from setting up of a National Commission for Aged, the organisation demanded the government to commit extending "right to development" to older people by giving specific focus to the elderly in any of the national policies and programmes designed to combat poverty.

It also urged the government to issue multipurpose identity cards to the elderly and concessions in fare in the state transports besides launching of special programmes for the aged at panchayat level.

Source: http://www.ptinews.com/pti%5Cptisite.nsf/0/847087D4D07024B4652574D7001F237C?OpenDocument