Elders in rural D-K a dissatisfied lot: Survey

MANGALORE: Elderly citizens in the hinterland hold a grouse against panchayats, religious leaders and social pressure groups, who they believe are less involved in the welfare of the elderly.A few senior citizens had availed food, clothing and psychological help from these groups and yet the dissatisfaction on their lack of support was high, reveals a doctoral study on quality of life of elderly in rural Dakshina Kannada by Ajith J D’Souza — serving as Dean in PG department of social work in Udupi-based Milagres college.D’Souza informs that most of the 400 respondents had an expectation of financial security, legal assistance and psychological support from them. He also found the glaring absence of interventions by NGOs to redress the needs and problem of the aged in rural areas.   Though elderly citizens interviewed for the study regarded themselves as healthy, they suffered from  many ailments. Asthma, anemia, arthritis, cancer, diabetics, dental disorder, gastritis, hypertension, insomnia, spondylitis and skin rashes were the common ailments found in them. Among these, anemia, insomnia and digestive disorders were found the highest.Impaired eye sight was found to be common among the elderly; among those with impaired eye sight, many had untreated cataract problems. Most had refused surgery due to an acceptance that cataract is an ageing health problem. Interestingly, 64.8 per cent of elderly citizens consult private medical practitioners. “They believe that allopathic medicines are life saving, and hence seek private practitioners,” D’Souza informs. Families displaced by projects like special economic zones (SEZ) go through an emotional turmoil is no longer a myth.     For the study also reveals that it is the elderly in displaced families who are most affected.