Aurangabad, June 16: The Department of Geriatrics, (DoG) Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Aurangabad and Indian Medical Association, Aurangabad jointly organized a webinar to mark the World Elderly Abuse Awareness Day on Tuesday.
Speaking about the necessity for awareness of Elderly Abuse, Dr Santosh Ranjalkar, President, IMA said that the elderly population of India is about 12-14 crore which is likely to double in the coming 20 years. We all have to strive so that our elderly can live a healthy, meaningful and dignified life now and also in the future.
The chief guest, guest speaker and divisional commissioner Sunil Kendrekar stressed upon the fact that elderly should not be victimized but be encouraged to live an independent life. He gave an overview of the problems faced by elderly especially in rural India and what steps can be taken to overcome them like assistance in making AADHAR cards so that the elderly can avail the services designed specifically for them by the government.
Dr Mangala Borkar, Professor, DoG, conducted an informative session on elderly abuse and its types namely neglect, abandonment, psychological, physical and financial abuse. Dr Narendra Vaidya, President, Aastha Foundation stressed the need for not addressing elderly homes as ‘Old age home’ but calling them as ‘Elder Care Homes.’ Dr Kalidas Chavan, Registrar, Maharashtra Institute of Health Sciences spoke on various laws and the need for social reforms for ensuring a healthy and dignified life for the elderly. Associate Professor and Head, DoG Dr Shailja Rao conducted the proceedings. The Geriatric team comprising Dr Mahesh Patil, Dr Ashish Rajan, Dr Zeba Firdous, Dr Shruti Karnik, Dr Sadhana Jaybhaye, Dr Pankaj Mahajan, Dr Kekashan Farooqui, Dr Milind Khade, Dr Momin Aaisha Heena along with technical guidance by Bodhankar events made the event a success.