KOCHI: A total of 45 people, who have never been on a flight, are boarding a plane from Kochi to Thiruvananthapuram on Monday. All of them are senior citizens and two of them are wheelchair-bound. But their wish to explore is as keen as ever.
The ‘age-friendly’ initiative is organised by NGO Magics, in association with Vayomitram and Cochin Corporation. They are all part of the Nettur Senior Citizens Club and half of them are part of the University of Third Age(U3A), another Magics initiative where senior citizens can continue their education in various colleges in Kochi.
“We are organising it as part of our geriatric tourism project,” said Dr Praveen G Pai, geriatrician and chairman of Magics. “Many organisations do not come forward to take up such initiatives because there is some risk and responsibility involved. Most of the elders have ailments, but we should remember they are people who strived hard and led a healthy life once and can handle themselves to some extent. We must not deal with our elders like they are invalids or like they are supposed to stay inside because they are older now.”
The trip is organised as part of ongoing efforts to make Kochi age-friendly and to uplift the senior citizens here. From sports events, age-friendly taxies and buses to ‘elder line’, a helpline for senior citizens, Magics and their associates have undertaken several projects to provide senior citizens with a better quality of life.
“We are providing the travel free of cost to a few of them; those who can afford it have paid Rs 3,000. Magics are currently looking for more sponsors to provide it as a free service,” said Praveen
After reaching Thiruvananthapuram, the group will visit the Legislative Assembly and then Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple and possibly Shanghumugham. The return journey will be via train.