Social, Economic and Political changes have been far-reaching and fast in our country during these last six decades. The middle class has more amenities now. Life has become more comfortable. Due to economic factors and also due to enhanced professional mobility Joint family has become extinct, at least in the urban middle class. Society has embraced enthusiastically the concept of privacy, personal freedom and non-interference. These are really very good social ideals and personally I believe that they are good for us. The young as well as the elderly are wary of guarding their personal freedom. The above mentioned factors leave no scope for joint family to survive.
The death of the joint family has two major fall outs - the neglect of the infants and of the elderly or old persons. Creches or day nurseries are rendering very useful services where both the parents are professionally engaged. These creches are doing good business and earning quite well.
What about the oldies? Old age homes are mostly run by NGOs on charity. It is mostly the poor persons who live in these homes and are dependent on the charity of individuals and institutions. I have a suggestion to make. Will some enterprising persons run old age homes as a source of earning? There is, I think, lot of money in the business of running old age homes. In the cities there are a good number of elders who are capable of paying for the services rendered to them, though they are physically unable to live by themselves. The population of the elders has considerably increased in our country, thanks to the advanced medical care now available and also a sort of revolution in our society for awareness about health and fitness.
My suggestion is that more and better creches as well as old homes run on commercial lines is the need of the hour.
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Simple truth is difficult to bear. Yes, India does require well-planned institutions for the aged. Child-age Foundation had worked on this concept from both angles. They started a school with limited number of children and added some residential units where the retired people were welcome to stay. The innocence of the children would give joy to the old and in turn rich experience would benefit the younger generation. There were not many takers. The reason lies in the curious manner in which the human mind works. If at all an aged person has to move out of his / her house (s)he wants a perfect environment. This utopia is never matched. One always find something or the other short or unpleasant or unacceptable. The aged person feels that if at all he has to make compromises why should he do that in a strange environment. Thus it requires quite an effort infra-structurally, intellectually and emotionally to provide acceptable life-style to the aged.
The idea of well-planned institutions for the aged is based on reality of life. I think we are late in this direction. Western civilization affects our people in such a speedy manner, that we would have started working on these lines since long. This is time of urgent need for aged persons.
Aged persons want personal freedom, security, peaceful atmosphere and good medical fecilities.
If they are provided these basic facilities, they are are ready to bear expenses. I say that many aged persons now in India can afford expenses for the services rendered to them. I feel the need of very good homes for old persons are needed not only in cities, but in villages also.
Shailbala Misra.
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