As the days pass by, we are becoming old physically. And we need extra care to keep ourselves in Fit condition. But it’s time for all of us to keep good health. Take good care of yourselves and your dear families. May Almighty God continue to bless us for a healthy and peaceful living. Moderation, Light Activities, Good Conscience, Contentment and Peaceful Mind will always keep us active. Exercise can help with strength, agility, vitality, sleep, mental health, and chronic pain. It can also help prevent memory loss, cognitive decline, and dementia.
It is notable that money can’t buy: manners, morals, respect, character, common sense, trust, patience, class, integerityd and love. So it is time to win self respect. Age is just a number when your plans are very well devised. Aging is inevitable, but to grow old gracefully is a choice. While we know that getting old is unavoidable, how we perceive this natural process depends greatly upon our social and cultural influences. Aging gracefully is about more than looks. It is about accepting the inevitability of getting older, taking care of your mind and body, and being your best self at any age. After all life begins after 60 with all additional responsibilities and at a time when you will have to take care of your own health at this crucial time of life and take care of your spouse.
Aging gracefully is not about trying to recapture your 20’s or look like a teenager. People who age gracefully accept that the aging process is natural and normal. They take pride in the fact that they’re survivors. They don’t apologize for their age: they own it. We all have to grow old. It is a fact of life, and one that all of us must face. Some people seem to have taken up the challenge of growing old gracefully, and have an ability to stay happy and youthful, even as they age. They see growing old as another stage of life and treat their old age with as much respect as they did their youth.
As we get old it is important to stay physically active, especially when we no longer work and enter retirement. We should always be using our bodies and regular exercise will improve our quality of life as we age. It doesn’t have to be vigorous; a short walk every day should do it. The fresh air and change of environment is also good for our minds, so exercise outdoors if possible. A person who grows old gracefully knows that age is just a number. It is possible to stay young, with the maturity and wisdom of old age to back it up. So be happy with life, and enjoy growing old.
For no proper reason seniors are abused in the society and that has become a topic of discussion in social media and in the newspaper now-a-days. It is time to have a soft corner for the seniors as they should not face the suffering at this old age. After all, today’s youngsters are going to become old people after a few years and they should realise the social responsibilities and make the seniors feel comfortable all the time. Abuse of seniors in the society is a very common ailment as the juniors feel that the life is there for their own liking and the old guys are a hindrance to their happy living. Most of them are abused in public and a number of cases are not reported as fear surrounds seniors in the society and the chances of being kicked out of the household. Help age India survey gave in depth of the sufferings and the reasons for their pathetic way of living. It is time to soften corners for the seniors and the NGOs working on the welfare of such people should have an action plan to identify the needy for their safe and robust living.
Seniors suffer in various ways and the government should improve the lives of the elderly in the best way possible. Though Chennai and New Delhi are kinder to its elderly population to great extent, the scenario is not so bright in other place in India and nearly 44% of elderly people have been abused in public life and that is a very bad reflection on the part of youngsters in keeping the old people at bay most of the time. Every senior citizen experiences difficulties in public, especially banks and post offices, and also in public transport. The situation is getting worse every passing day. While every country in the world takes care of its senior citizens by giving them benefits, our government has actually cut the term deposit interest rates, which proved the backbone of pensioners and other old people in the past. If the government treats the elderly in this fashion, what can we expect from the general public?
With people living and working longer, it is increasingly important that we recognize the importance of supporting senior citizens and aged within our society. The long-term contributions and dedication of older people are worth and to ensure that we are doing our best to give something back to older people. Older persons make wide-ranging contributions to economic and social development. However, discrimination and social exclusion persist. We must overcome this bias in order to ensure a socially and economically active, secure and healthy aging population. Sustainability and age inclusiveness for Senior Citizens in the urban environment is causing concern. The main purpose of life is that we should ‘live and let others also live’ and this has a great impact on seniors. For them simple living and high thinking make them survive. Anyway, it is the survival of the fittest in this competitive world.
Old age is beautiful in its way and aging provides you a matured and balanced state of mind. The older person’s outlook should go and we should have a young mind and heart to progress further in our life. In this regard, simple living and high thinking help you out of the trying times. Happy mind leads to healthy habits and that will in turn help to prolong your lifespan in the best way possible. We should adjust to the rules of the law and adjust to the vagaries of life.
The most important aspect of old age is to retain a curious mindset. As one grows old, our interest in the world is diminished and there is an increasing risk of becoming a lazy and lethargic person. A firm faith in God is one of the best blessings in life, especially when you grow old. Growing old in life is like climbing a mountain and we should be able to balance body and mind to make things in the right spirits and take a stand against ageism periodically. There lies the success of making old age a successful one. For older people, ageism is an everyday heart-breaking challenge. Overlooked for employment, restricted from social services and stereotyped in the media, ageism marginalises and excludes older people in their communities, at the very time of life where enjoyment could be paramount.
The “Helping Hands” of the seniors spread to every nook and corner of the country. It helps to spread awareness about the needs of Senior Citizens and makes them know of their own rights. This includes how to make use of pension benefits to make profitable investments and earn good returns. Such returns earned can be made use for the monthly medical expenses without pinching the pocket. It is time to sit and chit chat in a nearby park or garden and relax and enjoy life in fresh air. Doing yoga for a few days in a week can also benefit the seniors to carry on with added spirit and vitality.
It is often said that poverty in childhood and loneliness in old age are curses on human beings. Maybe this statement was made during the years when the situation of elders living alone was a rare occurrence. In the olden days the joint family system existed in India. This beautiful social institution took care of elders, the orphaned children, destitute and widows. But in today’s global village scenario, when the children are more often than not settled elsewhere in the globe, the elders are left alone. It may be due to the children’s inability to take them along with them or due to the desire of the elders themselves to stay alone in India. They join senior citizen clubs and make their life meaningful by entering into social activities by playing a game of chess or turn to the Carrom Board by playing a few games for the diversion of their mind and forget about worries.
The tag senior citizen is generally given to a person who is between 58 and 65 years of age and has superannuated from active service. This age band fixed for retirement was based on the old system followed decades ago when longevity was lower than 60 years. With the advance in medical sciences and health supporting systems, longevity now goes up to 75. Perhaps, the retirement age needs revision to make use of the services of experienced people for some more time in the interest of national development.
The presence of relatives and old-age homes, however comfortable, cannot provide for emotional needs. Some people overcome the blues by taking recourse to cultural and social activities but others suffer silently. Low income and poor health aggravate the misery. With about 50 per cent of the elderly being financially dependent on others, it is affordable housing, health care, and the psychological and social manifestations of aging that we will struggle to respond to as a country with no social security and dismal elderly care facilities.What will be the combined impact of this trend on small, nuclear families, along with an improvement in lifestyle and an increase in degenerative diseases and life spans, especially for women? Where are we going to live as we grow old and who is going to take care of us?
While we hope that the Indian family continues to be stronger than in most countries and provides a caring environment for the elderly, it can’t be the basis for our ability to support the elderly. India needs to take a serious look at the needs of the elderly in a more pragmatic and holistic manner. For starters it could focus on the three key aspects of health, housing, and dignity. NGOs and social organisations are doing their best to provide a better and satisfactory way of life in metro cities. Old age homes are coming up in Coimbatore, Bengaluru and Chennai for the upkeep and make them rehabilitated with proper food and health care. But how many people can afford such facilities on their own or through the resources of their children. Children live in far off places like America or Australia and thus making the parents weary of their life in isolation and worried about their well being without the personal touch of their children.
There is a need for a network of old age homes, both in the private and public sector. While the private sector has taken the lead in setting up some state-of-the-art facilities, most of these are priced well out of the reach of ordinary citizens. State governments must be mandated to set up quality, affordable homes. A growing number of old people live alone while their children work abroad. The Senior Citizens feel insecure and helpless with no one to take care of their daily needs. Loneliness and depression may be unwanted bed fellows of old age people, but along with advancing years come more palpable enemies.
That means the seniors have understood the concepts and techniques of active aging and about healthy living, which is possible only through positive thinking. Such seniors are role models to the younger generation. There lies the real success of life and letting others live in a serene atmosphere as seniors and not become a burden to the family as well as to the society.
BY C.K. SUBRAMANIAM
