problems in retirement homes

The media has just started k highlighting , the social and the economic pressures that would be imposed on the economy , due to  the prediction of 20 % of the population becoming senior citizens in the year 2050 through the four part series on senior issues and concerns .

 Different categories of seniors face different challenges. The poor seniors suffer due to poverty related problems and high level abuse and abandonment by their care takers  . The middle class seniors suffer due to loneliness due to empty nest syndrome and growing medical expenditures and the rich seniors are at the mercy of paid service providers and they face dangers to their safety and security .

 All these categories are happy with the spreading of  the concept of retirement or senior citizens homes in India. It is because ,it is considered as the best alternative than living alone after the break up of the joint family system in India.  The real estate sector has smelt the huge potential in providing  luxurious  or semi  luxurious place for stay and package of senior care facilities and started giving grand advertisements about such retirement communities nearer  the Indian cities .

 The ground realities found in these retirement homes tell a different story . The free senior homes are run in a very unsatisfactory  manner due to absence of supervision by the government. The paid  retirement homes seem to  run not with service motive with nominal profit  but with profiteering motive through  high charges for the services and a heavy refundable and non refundable deposits depending on the model of senior homes they provide. These are beyond the capacity of even , the middle class pension relieving seniors . what they want is only comfortable and dignified treatment  and not five star hotels facilities.  More over , there is considerable religious discrimination in the admission policy  though it is difficult to digest . It is time for the government to realise the economic and social issues connected with growing number of seniors in India and put proper regulatory machinery to regulate the functioning of  the service providers and prevent the exploitation of the vulnerable position of the aged population who rendered productive service to the nation through out their working period .

Happenings In Tamil Nadu

The national electronic  English news media which never used to  bother about the happenings  in Tamil Nadu are running the whole days programme week after week . So much is happening in the otherwise docile Tamil Nadu

 I don’t understand certain facts in the dramatic political events of Tamil Nadu

1.It looks as though the only qualification which is sufficient to make Sasi kala the chief minister of this progressive state is that she had been  a friend and care taker of Jeya lalitha more than 30 years and she has sacrificed her life for her well being . If it is how could Jeya Laitha’s health status deteriorated so much ? According to a doctor who treated her for some time , her sugar level, BP level ,walking inability and giddiness were very bad and improved to great extent after his treatment and then ,he was not called to attend to her . How could her medical status worsened so much in spite her friend’s constant attention and care? What type of care is this ?  But  Sasi kala  looks healthy and active, well  dressed  and with diamond jewelry contrary to Jeya laitha”s s simplicity and  unhealthy look . Who looked after whom?

2. Most of the MLAs support Sasi Kala in spite of  the corruption charges against her and her family members though the  Tamil Nadu voters are expressing  their  opinion against she  becoming the Chief minister. Are not the MLAs duty bound to represent their voters wishes ? How can there be so much of disconnect between the Anna DMK voters and their elected MLAs ? Will they never go back to them?

3.  How can the central government delay the appointment of a  full time Governor to Tamil Nadu as if there is dearth of  candidates  for that post a especially ,when Tamil Nadu is facing crisis after crisis ?

4. Many legal experts are of the opinion  that, what the acting governor Vidya Sagar is doing amounts to constitutional in proprietary . Then  why  does the central government silently watching his inaction ?

THe Budget-2017

After the yearly ritual of listening to and reading the budget discussions, two things are clear. India has the maximum supply of opinion contributors on ever matter of national importance and budget is wrongly conceived as a magical wand that would solve all the economic imbalances and help in achieving the economic objectives . The principles of economics has taught that, a coordinated combination of fiscal  , monetary  and  economic  policy  alone can  achieve the  economic goals of a nation . The Finance Minister who excels  in the art of creating a right mixture of these policies alone  will succeed in achieving the economic agenda of a government . But after observing the budget matters for decades together one message is clear  ie., all the governments  which have ruled  India so far , are united  in   neglecting  or giving low priority  to the social sectors . Why do our rulers fail to recognize the important role played by  education , skill training  and health  promotion in Human Resource Development and Human Capital Formation  especially, when we are right now , in a position to reap the demographic dividend ?  Year after year the Indian   Budgets  allocate very pathetic resources to the social sector in comparison with other emerging economies. This attitude of the budget makers is very mysterious .