Senior Citizens to get 5 % property tax rebate in Mumbai : Municipal Corporation to give more benefits

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has decided to give senior citizens a five per cent rebate in property taxes. Those above 65 years of age will also not be charged for admission in BMC-run hospitals.

The civic body has drawn up the proposal and will pass it next week at its group leaders’ meeting. Niyaz Wanu, NCP corporator and group leader, said it is BMC’s duty to help senior citizens as most complain that their children do not take care of them. “It is very difficult for senior citizens to meet their daily expenses.

If the BMC gives them some concessions, they can manage their lives better. We have decided not to charge any admission fee if they come for treatment to BMC-run hospitals,” said Wanu.

Once the proposal is passed, senior citizens will not pay any entry fee at civic zoos including the Jijamata Udyan at Byculla, and get 75 per cent concession at BMC swimming pools. “We will reserve 10 seats in the front rows of BMC theatres across the city for senior citizens and charge them only 50 per cent of the ticket cost.

They will also get 25 per cent concession for blood tests, cardiograms, MRI and echo-cardiology tests at civic hospitals. If property is in the senior citizen’s name, they will get five per cent property tax rebate.

We will also set up separate counters for senior citizens at each bill paying centre,” said Sunil Prabhu, Sena corporator and House leader.

Ravindra Waikar, the BMC’s standing committee chairman, said, “These facilities will help elderly people live their lives better. Otherwise, nobody cares about senior citizens.”

Source:http://www.mumbaimirror.com/article/2/20100212201002120201104359dc51982/Senior-Citizens-to-get-5-pc-property-tax-rebate.html


Good though by BMC but we need to have Uniform Age for classification of Senior Citizens. Age of 60+ should be treated as Senior Citizens. You retire people at 60yrs. This all is happening due to solid work by FESCOM and its associate NGO's like Silver Inning Foundation Advocacy. Now BMC should go ahead an start Day Center for Elderly - Enrichment centers, Dementia Day Center and Geriatric Wards in all BMC Hospitals.They should rope in NGO's working for Elderly to manage services.

Brown: Old people should not be seen as a 'burden on society'

Britain should stop viewing older people as a burden on society, Gordon Brown urged yesterday in a significant pre-election speech.

The Prime Minister said treating the over-65s well was the hallmark of a civilised country - and that the soaring number of pensioners was an opportunity rather than a threat.

Mr Brown told an audience in London it was while he was helping at a hospice last summer that he decided to make care for pensioners a policy priority.

A National Care Service for those of retirement age would be set up if Labour was returned to power, he promised. He also announced one-to-one support at home for all cancer patients.

The speech, to the King's Fund health think-tank, will be seen as an attempt to boost Labour's credentials as the party of the elderly.

Charities last night welcomed moves to bolster Britain's ' crumbling and inadequate' care system - but the Tories asked how Mr Brown would pay for the measures.

The Prime Minister pledged for the first time that every pensioner who leaves hospital would be offered help at home for four to six weeks afterwards.

Last week the Daily Mail revealed that more than 500,000 mostly elderly patients are readmitted to hospital each year, often because there is not enough community care available.

Mr Brown said that too often when a society's demographic became older it was seen by the 'youth-focused culture' as a threat or a burden.

He said: 'As a country we need to recognise that it has the potential to be a far more positive change affecting not just our public services but also the shape and character of our society. For our families, I believe it can be a change for the better.'

Older people should be 'less isolated on the fringes,' he said.

'If we are to be a successful country in this new era, we need a society which values the contribution of older people, of wisdom and experience - not diminishing or marginalising people because of age alone.'

Mr Brown said he wanted the country to make the most of people's talents 'for the whole of their lives' and a society 'which recognises our duty to offer dignity and security in old age'.

He said a of the National Care Service would be to help pensioners stay in their own homes as long as possible.

He pledged to roll out 're-ablement and rehabilitation' services which would provide home helps and adapt houses to assist people to remain independent.

The Prime Minister said his 'humbling experience' working in a Scottish hospice near his home had taught him a lot about the needs of the elderly and 'strengthened personal resolve' to improve care.

Michelle Mitchell, of Age Concern, said the speech 'brought hope to millions of older people' and she looked forward to the Government backing its pledges.

But Tory health spokesman Andrew Lansley said: 'This is too little too late from Gordon Brown.

'We have had 13 years of a Government which has ignored the plight of the elderly and has failed to help the vulnerable live safely in their own homes.'

Source:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1249432/Brown-Old-people-seen-threat.html#

1,000 Grandparents to March to Mendiola, Philippines

Some 1,000 senior citizens are scheduled to march from Morayta to Mendiola in Manila Monday morning to press President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to immediately sign the Congress-ratified Expanded Senior Citizens’ Act, it was learned Sunday.

“Pabago-bago ang ihip ng hangin sa Malacanang (We’ve been hearing different things from Malacanang). Before, it was a priority bill. Then right after both Houses of Congress ratified it, Malacanang said the President might veto it. Then, the Palace said the President realized the benefits the measure would give senior citizens and announced that it has again become a top priority,” said Fransiskus Kupang, executive director of Coalition of the Services for the Elderly (Cose).

“We are entitled to the additional benefits specified in the bill. We will fight for our rights to better social protection. We will show our determination with a march to Mendiola. The bill has to be signed,” he said in a statement e-mailed to media outfits.

The Expanded Senior Citizens’ Act, which seeks better social protection for the country’s 7 million elderly, would among other things

* exempt senior citizens from the 12-percent value added tax in the purchase of medicines and other services;

* give indigent senior citizens a monthly stipend of P500;

* give free medical and dental services, diagnostic, and laboratory fees in all government facilities;

* give full PhilHealth insurance coverage and free anti-flu and anti-pneumonia vaccines to indigent senior citizens; and

* give a 5-percent discount in water and electricity utilities; and a P2,000 death benefit assistance.

Cose members will be joined by members of the Confederation of Older Person Association of the Philippines and the multi-sectoral coalition Kampanya para sa Makataong Pamumuhay (KAMP or Life of Dignity for All Campaign), which champions social protection for all—the urban and rural poor, farmers and peasants, fisher folk, women, children, and the elderly—and of which Cose is a member.

“We support our lolos and lolas (grandparents) in demanding that this bill be enacted immediately. This measure would go a long way for our lolos and lolas, especially as many of them are being pushed to poverty by the still raging financial crisis. Our lolos and lolas are entitled to society’s care and protection,” said Von Mesina of KAMP.

Kupang said 3 million of the 7 million Filipinos 60 years and above live in poverty and 900,000 are “desperately poor,” citing figures of the National Economic Development Authority.

However, he said, only 1 percent of the P1.4-trillion budget in 2009 was allocated for the elderly and the disabled. “There is enough in the 2010 national budget of P1.54 trillion for the elderly,” he said.

Malacanang had argued that the bill could dampen VAT collection and complicate the VAT collection system. The Department of Finance had also estimated P54.4-million in foregone revenues for the first year of the measure’s implementation.

Kupang, whose organization Cose has been lobbying for the bill since three years ago, said helping the elderly cope with the difficulties of growing old is not only appropriate, but the right of older people who have offered their more productive years to the country as they continue to contribute in nation-building even in their old age.

“We Filipinos pride ourselves as loving and caring of our elderly. Our national policies should reflect this Filipino value,” he said.


Source:http://www.globalaging.org/elderrights/world/2010/1,000.htm

Jail Those Who Hurt Elderly, Say Police

A disturbing increase in attacks on Queensland's most vulnerable people has police calling for offenders who assault the elderly to be jailed automatically.

Since 2005, the number of sex attacks on people 65 and over has trebled from just eight to 29 a year.

And assaults have climbed by almost 20 per cent, from 212 to 254.

A series of high-profile attacks in the past 12 months has added to the perception that elderly people are increasingly at risk of violence in Queensland.

Last Tuesday, an 82-year-old grandmother raking leaves in her Rockhampton backyard was subjected to a horrific sexual assault, allegedly by an 18-year-old man armed with a fire extinguisher.

Yesterday, she remained in the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital in a serious but stable condition.

Cairns charity worker Maria Ball did not survive the shocking attack on her on May 24 last year as she walked to a market.

And in August, elderly Mount Isa couple Fred and Phyllis Mabb were bashed to death in their own home.

Bond University criminologist Professor Paul Wilson said the vicious nature of the assaults and the rising number of attacks on the elderly was a sad indictment on society.

"It's another indicator of the callousness and disregard for the vulnerable in our society," Professor Wilson said.

"And the elderly certainly are a vulnerable group."

Queensland Police Union president Ian Leavers said people convicted of assaults on people older than 65 should be automatically jailed for a minimum of three months. "People who viciously and callously assault the elderly should have the book thrown at them," Mr Leavers said.

Ceciley Rowell, 75, has first-hand experience of the courts' lenient treatment of violent offenders.

She was left with permanent hand injuries after being dragged 10m over bitumen in a frightening drive-by bag snatch at Stafford in 2006 but her attackers were free within a year.

"I check the papers every day for their names. It has totally changed my life," Ms Rowell said.

"I live like a prisoner. I always check the house 100 times before I leave, and another 100 times when I get home."

Mr Leavers said police were sick of arresting people who commit crimes of extreme violence only to have the courts impose little or no actual jail time.


Source: http://www.globalaging.org/elderrights/world/2010/jail.htm

Govt to evaluate old age pension scheme

The Central Government of India has decided to evaluate a major old age pension scheme involving Rs 5,200 crore (Rs 52 billion) for undertaking mid-course corrections.

The evaluation of the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme would cover 30 states, a rural development ministry official said.

"The government is spending Rs 5,200 crore (Rs 52 billion) in 2009-10 and the benefits of such expenditure need to be measured and the implementation problems need to be identified for undertaking mid-course corrections," he said.

"Now that the IGNOAPS is two years old, it is the right time to conduct concurrent evaluation. A decision has been taken to get the programme evaluated in each state through reputed institutions or organisations," he said.

Officials said the broad objective of the study is to evaluate the extent to which the programme has achieved its aim and find out the factors responsible for its progress and suggest remedial measures needed to overcome the difficulties.

Specific objective of the evaluation will include documentation of the extent and type of benefits received by BPL families from various social security schemes being implemented by the government, he said.

Officials will also evaluate the selection procedure adopted to identify the beneficiaries in states and see whether the BPL list was used in this regard.

They will also assess the level of awareness and clarity about the scheme amongst the stakeholders besides assessing the existing monitoring and supervision mechanism and its effectiveness at various levels.

Source: http://business.rediff.com/report/2010/jan/29/govt-to-evaluate-old-age-pension-scheme.htm

Dementia strategy takes shape

In a showcase full of pictures there is one of Mrs Sukla Bhattacharjya, 76, in which she has a hint of a smile on her face. That isn’t unusual except when you consider that she’s sitting an arm’s length away, unmoving and perhaps asleep, and that her husband and caregiver, Brig (retd.) SP Bhattacharjya, had to watch almost all day to capture that fleeting moment of wakefulness. Sukla, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 1996, hasn’t spoken in four years, is now in the
terminal stages of the disease after a 15-year struggle, and it is for these daily moments when her eyes open that her husband waits.

Mrs Bhattacharjya is one of 3.5 million Indians with dementia, a disorder marked by a steady decline in memory and mental abilities. This figure is set to more than double in the next 20 years. In fact, low or middle income countries (LAMIC) like India will show a proportionately higher rate of increase of dementia cases over the next 40 years than developed countries. By 2050, almost 59 per cent of the world’s 115.4 million dementia-affected people will be in Asia.

New studies also suggest that the rate of prevalence of dementia for people in India over the age of 60 years is now considered to be 5.7 per cent (India’s population of elderly is predicted to be 178 million by 2030), up from the earlier estimate of 3.4 per cent, which is comparable to those in Europe and Australasia. Dementia has the dubious honour of being the leading cause of disability among older people in LAMIC.

So how are we as a country prepared to tackle this looming problem? A three-day conference of the stakeholders-caregivers, doctors, researchers, associations and government-organised by the Alzheimer’s and Related Disorders Society of India (ARDSI), was held in Kolkata from December 4 to 6 as a prelude to a meeting of experts held subsequently in New Delhi, to work on a strategy and to frame a set of guidelines in the form of a policy document on dementia in India.

Earlier this year, the UK came out with a National Dementia Strategy which, as Professor Martin Prince, founder of the 10/66 Dementia Research Group (DRG), a collective of researchers carrying out population-based research into dementia, non-communicable diseases and aging in LAMIC, says, “didn’t come out of a vacuum” and had the benefit of an awareness among policy makers that things “weren’t going quite right” for the elderly. Earlier policy initiatives had revealed the shortfalls in efficacy and they were able to estimate that dementia costs the UK economy 17 billion pounds yearly, and this would triple by 2030.

The Indian government, on the other hand, has no specific policy on dementia, no area-wise figures, cost of the socio-economic burden, or of what works and what doesn’t. Maybe it’s in a state of denial. For a start, three areas of focus were chosen at the conference to work out a strategy: to raise awareness about dementia; to improve diagnosis and treatment; and to provide cost-effective interventions and care.

RAISING AWARENESS: “In India the biggest problem is awareness,” says Daisy Acosta, chairman of Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI). “People don’t know what dementia is and seek treatment too late. It is an epidemic of unprecedented proportions and our duty as an association is to make governments understand what is coming, to be better prepared,” she adds. The objectives of any policy in this direction would be improved public and professional understanding of dementia among general practitioners, healthcare professionals, policymakers and the media.

“California is developing a State Alzheimer’s Plan. The business sector is getting involved to give more visibility to Alzheimer’s disease as a big social concern,” says Michael Splaine, director, State Policy and Advocacy Programs of the Alzheimer’s Association in the US. “India has a huge problem but it should look at its assets. There are a large number of cellphone users. The network can be used to create awareness, move information, help caregivers,” he adds. The stigma attached to the disease and the false belief that dementia is a normal part of ageing and that nothing can be done constitute the biggest barriers.

Acosta, who as chairman of ADI deals with various governments of low and medium income countries, says: “Creating awareness will help fight the stigma associated with Alzheimer’s and identify the problem earlier to empower the family to seek timely treatment.”

IMPROVE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT: On the home page of the 10/66 DRG is a simple equation: good quality research generates awareness, shapes policy, encourages and pioneers service development. It’s interesting that this organisation was born in Cochin in 1998. Its name 10/66 refers to the two-thirds (66 per cent) of people with dementia living in low and middle income countries, and the 10 per cent or less of population-based research that has been carried out in those regions. Since then it’s working hard to offset this imbalance, and its studies have contributed largely to the revised figures of prevalence and worldwide estimates of dementia.

Prof. Prince says: “Research in this field provides evidence for policy makers. There’s been a great deal more of quality research carried out in India over the past ten years, in Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai. We’ve had to revise our estimates. We’re looking at probably 3.7 million people now increasing to around 14 million by 2050. It’s a virtual epidemic here and the major concern is that at the moment there are very few services that meet the needs of patients.”

“It’s important that people are encouraged to take the elderly to the doctor in time without waiting for the disease to progress,” says Dr. Mathew Varghese, Prof. of Psychiatry at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS).

Dr Suvarna Alladi, Associate Professor of Neurology at the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences, says: “In India the most difficult part for the doctor is reaching the patient because people in the early stages don’t seek help as there is low awareness. Awareness even among primary care professionals is low.”

EFFECTIVE INTERVENTIONS AND CARE: “The family is the bulwark of care, even in the US, and even more so in India,” says Splaine. “We have to figure out how we should support families better to provide care to the patient,” he adds. Prof. Prince says “We are now putting the accent on intervention, in helping the caregiver.”

A study is being undertaken in Goa on the effectiveness of this intervention. “We’ve done a random control trial to evaluate the effectiveness of home care-advisors, trained to provide non-pharmacological interventions for families coping with dementia,” says Dr Amit Dias, India coordinator of the 10/66 DRG. “The intervention helped in reducing the caregiver perception of burden and the caregiver burnout. It is a cost-effective model that could be scaled up and integrated with the existing Primary Health Care network in India to address the needs of people with dementia,” adds Dias.

The cost of dementia is enormous and an estimate puts the societal costs at US$ 315 billion. Zodingpuii, from Mizoram, serves in the government and her mother, a former school teacher, was diagnosed with dementia seven years ago. She intends to help set up a chapter of ARDSI in Aizwal. “We have the resources to take good care of my mother, and have three caregivers. We are lucky, but it’s a luxury that the poor people of the village perhaps can’t afford.” The family must be supported in providing care, especially in India as the economic costs, along with the psychological pressure, can be back-breaking.

“In our study we found that a quarter of caregivers surveyed had to give up paid work to be able to take care of the patient,” says Prof. Prince. “In some countries in the west, we have established the principle of providing care-giver benefits, as he saves money for society. Perhaps in India a disability pension could be given, this changes the way an older person is perceived,” he adds.

THE TASK AHEAD: “A preliminary Dementia India report should be ready by the first quarter of 2010,” says Varghese. State-wise figures of dementia patients are being worked out and the economic burden of care-giving faced by a family is going to be estimated. “We will have to analyse these figures and see whether we have the wherewithal to handle the patients,” he adds. “By June 2010 we should have a detailed report and perhaps by September a call to action.”

Till now the government’s attitude has been perhaps Ostrich-like, but Mukul Wasnik, the minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, who spoke at the National Meeting of Experts, has assured that the recommendations from the deliberations will be included in the review of the National Policy on Older Persons.

Meanwhile, every seven seconds there’s a new case of dementia worldwide and in some family, somewhere, a dramatic chain of events is being triggered off.

By Gautam Singh

Source:http://www.civilsocietyonline.com/jan10/jan104.asp

Aid policy for elderly in India : Revision of NPOP

The Centre is enriching a 10-year-old policy for the elderly that has so far remained on paper, offering financial support, healthcare, shelter, protection from abuse and exploitation as well as a battle against dementia.

The National Policy for Older Persons (NPOP) of 1999 is being upgraded with special focus on Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia as part of a National Dementia Strategy. (See chart)

The existing policy has virtually seen no implementation on the ground with most states failing to show interest, a Union social justice and empowerment ministry official admitted.

He said a “determined” Centre would this time tighten its monitoring and withhold NPOP funds to the states if they did not carry the policy out. “We want the NPOP implemented in letter and spirit,’’ the official said.

The highlight of the new NPOP would be the measures against all forms of dementia.

“India is said to have millions of people with dementia and it is imperative that we prepare to deal with the socio-economic repercussions of this,’’ the official said.

A report by the Alzheimer’s Disease International says there are 36 million people with dementia in the world, of whom three million live in India. The number may rise to 10 million by 2030, the report says.

“We want to create awareness about the disease because it can be prevented if we take the right precautions,’’ the official said.

Scientists say people who engage in intellectually stimulating activities, such as social interaction and the playing of a musical instrument, significantly lower their risk of developing dementia or, at least, delay its onset.

The revised policy will ask the states to ensure quick disposal of cases relating to property transfer and property tax involving the aged. It will also require the states to provide special identity cards to everyone above 65 to make it easier for them to claim benefits such as fare concessions and priority in the allocation of gas and phone connections.

Health professionals and activists working with the elderly and dementia patients said they were happy with the government’s plans.

“The social and economic consequences of dementia are extraordinary,” said Dr Jacob Roy, who heads the Alzheimer’s and Related Disorders Society of India.

“This is not only because of the increase in the number of dementia patients, but also because the condition is one of the most disabling ones, leading to personality changes and behavioural problems. It is good news that the government is giving special attention to Alzheimer’s.”

Source:http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100128/jsp/frontpage/story_12037191.jsp

Silver Inning Foundation supports MSJE Ministry steps to revise NPOP and advocates its adoption and implementation through pan India at earliest.It also request Government to take view of active NGO and stake holders before finalizing the new NPOP.

But we once again demand a separate Ministry and Elder Right protection Law for 90 million Elderly in India.