THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As the government prepares to establish a department for the welfare of the elderly against the backdrop of a rapidly ageing population, the contribution of Rev Samuel T Varghese, a priest of the Mar Thoma Church, assumes significance.
Back in 1996, he established Keralam’s first Pakal Veedu, offering a new model of day-care for the elderly. Three decades later, the Centre is also considering a policy to promote Pakal Veedus.
It was his experience during house visits while serving in Thiruvananthapuram that prompted Rev Samuel to establish a centre for the elderly. “I was visiting an elderly man who had returned to Thiruvananthapuram after living in Singapore. His wife had passed away and he was bedridden. The home nurse was not taking proper care of him either. When I returned home, I was disturbed,” he recalled.
He then shared the experience with his wife and the then bishop.
“That is how the idea of a Pakal Veedu, where elderly people could come and spend the whole day, just like children go to kindergarten, came to my mind. A meeting of government officials, volunteers and political leaders was held to discuss the project,” he said.
Following news reports on the initiative, Thankamma George, a Kesavadasapuram native, approached him and became the first person to join the Pakal Veedu, established in Pongumoodu.
The initiative was subsequently adopted by several private organisations and non-governmental organisations. The concept of Pakal Veedu was incorporated into the state’s revised policy for older persons in 2003.
Recently, Sudhansh Pant, secretary, Union ministry of social justice and empowerment, announced that the Centre was considering provisions for running day-care centres for the elderly as part of its proposed policy.
“When we launched the Pakal Veedu in 1996, the proportion of the elderly population in Keralam was around eight per cent. Now it has risen to around 17% and is set to touch 20%. In this scenario, what we need to look for is not just the health condition of the elderly population. Most of them are lonely, and we need to ensure their psychological and mental well-being too,” Rev Samuel noted.
Further, he said the state also needs to have centres that can provide better geriatric care. “Supporting elderly people who are financially struggling also remains crucial as accessibility and affordability remain a major issue for many of them,” he pointed out.