THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It was in December 2014 that the Centre for Gerontological Studies, along with the Social Justice Department, unveiled a slew of projects at Manikkal grama panchayat to make it senior-citizen friendly. Now four years later, enlarging the ambit of the said initiative, the agencies concerned have decided to add two more panchayats - Poovachal and Vembayam - to its geriatric care project. With this, people from the age of 60 and above will not only be provided with healthcare facilities but also various infotainment programmes.
“As the elderly population in the state is showing a rise, initiatives like this are needed. The concept of elderly-friendly villages assumes significance as incidents prove senior citizens are facing humiliation, abuse and isolation. Following a positive feedback from Manikkal, it has now been decided to extend the project to Poovachal and Vembayam grama panchayats too,” said an officer with the Social Justice Department.
S Sujatha, president, Manikkal grama panchayath said as part of the project, a slew of initiatives were implemented and this includes distributing health card and identity cards to all senior citizens, conducting ‘Vayosabhas’ at 21 wards on a monthly basis and introducing a special window for elderly at government offices. She said to ensure that the rights of senior citizens are being protected, ‘Jagratha Samithis’ has already been set up to listen to the complaints of the elderly.
Meanwhile, Poovachal grama panchayat president Ramachandran K said as part of the project, it has been decided to set up more ‘Pakalveedus’, a recreation centre for elderly persons. It has also been decided to constitute a special team to look into the allocations for various projects meant for the elderly. According to Suseela K, member of Vembayam grama panchayat, the administrative council has decided to set up ‘elderly clubs’ in its 21 wards.
Special sessions
According to the Social Justice Department, it will soon chalk out a sensitisation programme for individuals and groups that are directly or indirectly connected with the implementation of the scheme