‘Elder abuse: 50% suffer

The field work was carried out by HelpAge and Sigma between April 27 and May 17.

During the function on Saturday,an IAS officer with the UT Administration,Tanvi Garg,explained the mechanism under Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizen Act,2007. She said that the main reason behind elderly abuse was lack of communication and understanding among elders and other members of the family. She added that the act empowered the tribunal to summon family members if an elderly couple or person filed a case with the tribunal.

R S Ghumman,an IPS officer,said that senior citizens or elderly needed to be less dependent on others. “They should save money for themselves and engage themselves in things of their interest to avoid misunderstandings,” Ghumman added.

Adding to it,Justice Jagdish Bhalla,chairperson of Punjab State Human Rights Commission,apprised the gathering about the right to live and individual’s dignity as enshrined in the Indian constitution.

Others who were present included Brigadier Keshav Chandra and Bhuvaneshwar Sharam,state head of HelpAge India