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 .